CeNeS Pharmaceuticals announces first sale of AutoPatch ion channel screening technology to Glaxo Research and Development Ltd
4/12/2000
CeNeS Pharmaceuticals plc (“CeNeS”) today announces the first sales of AutoPatch, its proprietary ion channel screening system, to Glaxo Wellcome. The AutoPatch systems will be installed at Glaxo Wellcome’s research facilities in Stevenage, UK and Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA. CeNeS has leading expertise in ion channels and AutoPatch is the first stage in the development of a high throughput screening platform technology. Glaxo Wellcome will also collaborate with CeNeS to enhance the drug-screening throughput of AutoPatch.
Patch-clamping is the method by which ion channels are currently studied, but it is slow, technically very intricate and requires sophisticated equipment and specialist operators. These factors have limited the ability of companies to fully exploit ion channels as drug targets. AutoPatch automates this complex process, increasing throughput and reducing the need for highly trained, skilled operators.
Commenting, Daniel Roach, Chief Executive of CeNeS Pharmaceuticals plc, said:
“This is the first generation of the proprietary AutoPatch technology which has been successfully developed for commercial use by CeNeS. The new technology is aimed at achieving genuine electrophysiological screening of ion channels at high-throughput, potentially increasing the rate of the drug discovery process in ion channels several fold. We are delighted that Glaxo Wellcome has chosen us as a supplier in this field and we are currently talking with a number of other major international companies with the prospects of further orders.”
Mike Romanos, Director, Molecular Sciences at Glaxo Wellcome said:
“Glaxo Wellcome has recognised the increasing importance of ion channels as a target class relevant to multiple disease areas, which has until now been limited by the technical difficulty and low throughput of assays. CeNeS’ AutoPatch will form part of an integrated strategy at Glaxo Wellcome to apply leading technologies to facilitate multiple stages of ion channel drug discovery. ” |
