Through these key acquisitions, Caliper has assembled a wide range of in vitro and in vivo products and services that enable pharmaceutical companies to reduce costs while increasing the pace and clinical relevance of drug research. Caliper's strategy is to provide its customers with the tools for building an "In Vitro-In Vivo Bridge" [I-I Bridge] to address the growing pressure on the pharmaceutical industry to find new, effective drugs while minimizing the risk of adverse effects of those drugs.
"The launch of CDAS is one in a series of practical solutions that Caliper is offering the pharmaceutical industry, with the goal of reducing attrition of drug candidates as they move from in vitro to in vivo experiments," said Kevin Hrusovsky, president and CEO of Caliper. "By building the I-I Bridge in the context of a services offering, we are providing scientists a way to explore new approaches to drug discovery with minimal resource commitment."
Caliper Discovery Alliances & Services offers more than 700 in vitro assay types, including receptor (e.g. GPCR), enzyme (e.g. kinase), and ion channel screening and profiling assays, side effect and ADME-tox panels, and cellular models for immunology, oncology, and other fields. In vivo offerings include more than 85 pharmacological assays that measure over 400 different parameters for applications such as in vivo compound profiling and phenotyping, and target validation studies. Other in vivo services include creation of genetically modified animal models and biophotonic imaging-based animal models for oncology and other therapeutic areas.
Immunology research is one therapeutic area where CDAS offers assays that span the I-I Bridge. For example, a client's compound can be tested in vitro, using cell-based assays, for the compound's ability to stimulate the production of key proteins that signal an immune response. The same cell-based models have been incorporated into mice, so that in vivo compound profiling, phenotyping, or biophotonic imaging studies can be performed. By using the same cell model both in vitro and in vivo, scientists can better correlate the sets of results.
"The demand for outsourced drug discovery services is growing rapidly as companies increasingly recognize the critical need for comprehensive characterization of potential safety or side effect liabilities of their drug candidates," said David Manyak, executive vice president of discovery services of Caliper Life Sciences and head of CDAS. "We are excited to now be one of the few providers focused on offering services that span in vitro and in vivo experimentation, and look forward to working in partnership with our customers to help them bring safe and effective new drugs to market."
About Caliper Life Sciences
Caliper Life Sciences is a leading provider of drug discovery and life sciences research solutions for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. With its acquisitions of NovaScreen Biosciences and Xenogen Corporation, Caliper has positioned itself to transform drug discovery and development through a keen focus on clinically relevant experimentation. Caliper's products and services, assembled from a leading portfolio of microfluidics, liquid handling, and imaging technologies, span in vitro and in vivo experimentation and address key issues on the critical path of drug discovery and development. More information about Caliper can be found at www.caliperLS.com.
NOTE: I-I Bridge is a trademark and Caliper, NovaScreen and Xenogen are registered trademarks of Caliper Life Sciences, Inc.
Source: Caliper Life Sciences, Inc.
