Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Biotech / Medical : Trickle Portfolio -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: tuck who wrote (1095)	3/21/2002 1:07:46 PM
From: tuck	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1784

Also from PittCon, an interesting wrinkle in LC from a local (to me) company: >>CARLSBAD, Calif., March 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Ontogen Discovery Systems, a subsidiary of Ontogen Corporation, today presented new findings on OntoCHROM®, its semi-preparative scale supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) system, including its benefits over existing high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The presentation, given at Pittcon 2002, covered chromatographic performance of high-throughput compound purification methods, compatibility with drug-like classes of compounds, and unequivocal benefits of SFC-based approaches in drug discovery processes by the elimination of false positives. The ability of OntoCHROM to successfully purify compound libraries using less than 20 ml of organic solvent per sample, 90% less than conventional HPLC requirements, were among the findings presented at the meeting. Additionally, significant improvements in high throughput screening (HTS) outcomes as a direct result of using OntoCHROM were highlighted. Results presented led to the compelling conclusion that OntoCHROM technology is a practical alternative to HPLC for high throughput purification of compound libraries. ``OntoCHROM is an industry-leading system that provides high-throughput semi-preparative purification of chemical libraries at a rate of 250 compounds per eight hour day and purity of up to 100% with minimal solvent requirements and significant reduction in hazardous waste disposal,'' said Cyrus K. Mirsaidi, executive director, Ontogen Discovery Systems. ``The combination of SFC methodology and UV-triggered, mass-directed collection provides real-time, dynamic decision making power on the collection of compounds with different molecular weights in the same run, which is impossible to perform with conventional HPLC systems. OntoCHROM will enable Ontogen Discovery Systems' key partners significant, unique and unrivaled advantages in their drug discovery programs, with greater efficiency and lower costs than HPLC.'' About OntoCHROM OntoCHROM uses supercritical CO2 as the mobile phase and UV-triggered, mass-directed fraction collection, as opposed to more conventional systems using mass confirmation as the only source of target identification. OntoCHROM's fully automated, four-channel system allows simultaneous purification of four 96-well plates, with direct well-to-well mapping of the desired product (positively identified by mass spectrometry) in the target plate and concomitant collection of other, potentially interesting UV-absorbing molecules in a separate ``by-product'' plate. OntoCHROM reduces the occurrence of false positives and false negatives obtained during HTS, thereby minimizing the number of re-syntheses necessary to confirm biological activity. Ontogen Discovery Systems, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ontogen, provides industry-leading solutions to improve drug discovery efficiency and alleviate traditional bottlenecks in chemical synthesis, compound analysis, high-throughput biological screening, and data analysis. Its development capabilities are differentiated and strengthened in part by proprietary drug discovery systems -- OntoBLOCK(TM) (compound library synthesis) and OntoCHROM -- that have fostered a drug discovery and optimization process that is significantly faster than traditional methods with higher quality data and dramatically lower R&D expenditures. The Company has headquarters in Carlsbad, California, and is privately held. For more information about Ontogen Discovery Systems, visit Ontogen's web site at ontogen.com .<< Cheers, Tuck