14 February, 2013 - Cyprotex PLC (AIM:CRX), the specialist preclinical contract research organisation (CRO), today announces the launch of eCiphrCardio, an assay to assess potential cardiotoxicity of compounds in early drug development. This assay is based on microelectrode array (MEA) technology.
Cardiotoxicity continues to be one of the main toxicological reasons for drug attrition during the drug development process. eCiphrCardio is a high throughput in vitro assay used to screen compounds to detect any potentially adverse effects on cardiac function and is available on the Maestro MEA system from Axion Biosystems (“Axion”). The MEA Maestro system has proven to be a robust, high-throughput platform to test for drug effects on clinically-relevant cardiac electrophysiological features. This new assay complements our existing CellCiphr® Premier assay which is used to screen compounds for the potential for drug-induced hepatotoxicity.
Dr. Anthony Baxter, the Chief Executive Officer of Cyprotex, said: “Screening for drug-induced cardiotoxicity continues to be a major requirement by the regulatory agencies. eCiphrCardio complements our comprehensive portfolio of assays to address potential toxicity concerns early in the drug development process. It improves the prediction of cardiotoxicity by providing relevant mechanistic insights. We are now applying the MEA system for additional applications including the development of a new neurotoxicity screen, expected to be launched in the near future.”
Tom O’Brien, President and Chief Executive Officer of Axion, added: “Cardiac assays using single-well MEA systems have been validated in academic studies for more than a decade, so the predictive value of this in vitro assay is firmly established. With the introduction of eCiphrCardio, Cyprotex is the first to offer this assay on our high throughput platform. By capturing the power of multiwell MEA technology, Cyprotex has made MEA assays practical for use in early stage drug development. We look forward to working with this team as they expand their portfolio of cellular electrophysiology assays utilising Axion’s Maestro MEA system.”
To find out more about this service, visit: http://www.cyprotex.com/eCiphrCardio
For further information:
Cyprotex PLC Tel: +44 (0) 1625 505 100
Dr Anthony Baxter, Chief Executive Officer
John Dootson, Chief Financial Officer
Mark Warburton, Chief Operating Officer and Legal Counsel ir@cyprotex.com
www.cyprotex.com
N+1 Singer (Nomad and broker to Cyprotex) Tel: +44 (0)20 7496 3000
Shaun Dobson
Jenny Wyllie
shaun.dobson@nplus1singer.com
jenny.wyllie@nplus1singer.com
www.nplus1singer.com
FTI Consulting Tel: +44 (0) 20 7831 3113
Simon Conway
Mo Noonan cyprotex@fticonsulting.com
www.fticonsulting.com
About Cyprotex PLC
Cyprotex is based in Macclesfield, near Manchester in the UK, and Watertown, MA in the US and is listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange (CRX). The company was established in 1999 and works with more than 700 partners ranging from small biotechs to large pharma companies. Cyprotex acquired Apredica and the assets of Cellumen Inc. in August 2010 and the combined business provides support for a wide range of experimental and computational ADME-Tox and PK services, extending from early drug discovery through to IND submission. The company’s core capabilities include high quality in vitro ADME screening services, mechanistic toxicology and high content toxicology screening services and predictive modelling using PBPK and QSAR techniques, including Cloe® PK for in vivo PK prediction. For more information, see www.cyprotex.com.
About Axion BioSystems, Inc.
Axion BioSystems, Inc. is a life science instrumentation company that develops high-throughput microelectrode array (MEA) systems for in vitro network electrophysiology, allowing researchers to model neural activity and cardiac beating. As a result, toxicity and efficacy can be assessed earlier in the drug development process with greater sensitivity and accuracy. For more information, see www.axionbiosystems.com.
Further information on eCiphrCardio®
eCiphrCardio is a high throughput in vitro assay used to screen compounds to detect any potentially adverse effects on cardiac function. The assay has been validated with Cellular Dynamics International’s human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell-derived iCell® Cardiomyocytes, which are plated on Axion BioSystem’s Maestro MEA system. CDI’s iCell® Cardiomyocytes are highly pure, fully-functional human cardiac cells manufactured in reproducibly high quality and quantity to provide a more reliable, relevant and predictive in vitro model. The MEA Maestro system has proven to be a robust, high-throughput system to test for drug effects on clinically-relevant cardiac electrophysiological features, including beat rate, QT interval, amplitude, and conduction velocity.
