Absorption Systems announces novel test platform for interactions with the BCRP transporter

EXTON, Pa., July 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Absorption Systems, a world leader in developing novel test systems for drug transporters, announces the availability of a long-awaited assay platform for the human BCRP transporter, also known as breast cancer resistance protein. Cell biologists at the company have successfully over-expressed BCRP in a stable manner in the MDCK cell line, thereby creating BCRP-MDCK cells, the latest addition to its CellPort Technologies® product line. The unique, new BCRP assay system will enable drug developers to test new drug candidates for interactions with BCRP, which is involved in drug clearance, resistance of tumors to anticancer drugs, and drug-drug interactions (DDIs).

DDIs, which can lead to side effects, therapeutic failure, or death, remain an underappreciated healthcare problem. The risk is particularly high among the elderly, due to the fact that most elderly people take multiple medications. According to an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association, as many as 2.2 million older Americans are at risk of a major DDI. For example, evidence suggests that BCRP is involved in the clearance from the body of methotrexate, a drug that is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and cancer. Thus, any patient taking methotrexate as well as another drug that interferes with the action of BCRP could be at risk for a DDI and a greater likelihood of severe side effects. The new BCRP-MDCK cells from Absorption Systems are the basis of a sensitive test system to screen new drug candidates for inhibition of BCRP.

Development of the new BCRP test system was spearheaded by Absorption Systems' Chief Scientist, Dr. Ismael Hidalgo, who leads the company's research and development in preclinical testing, including collaborations with academic, industrial, and FDA scientists. He said, "This milestone is the culmination of many months of work by our talented scientists. It is something that many other groups in our field have attempted unsuccessfully over the years, and I'm really pleased that we are at the point where we can use this new cell line to help our customers develop safer, more effective drugs. Our various CellPort test systems can provide very definitive data on drug transporters, as required by regulatory agencies such as the FDA."

CellPort Technologies is a suite of modified mammalian cell lines designed to provide definitive data regarding interactions between drugs and specific transport proteins. Drug transporters have been identified by regulatory agencies such as the FDA and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) as key mediators of unintended DDIs.*

To learn more about CellPort Technologies and to view a video on the patented knockdown cell lines, visit absorption.com/cellport.

*The new FDA draft guidance on drug interaction studies is available at http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/Guidances/UCM292362.pdf.

*The newly finalized EMA guideline on the investigation of drug interactions is available at http://www.ema.europa.eu/docs/en_GB/document_library/Scientific_guideline/2012/07/WC500129606.pdf.

*The influential International Transporter Consortium white paper on transporters and drug development is available at http://www.nature.com/nrd/journal/v9/n3/full/nrd3028.html.

About Absorption Systems

Absorption Systems, founded in 1996, assists pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device companies in identifying and overcoming ADMET (Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion and Toxicity) barriers in the development of drugs, biologics, and medical devices. The company's mission is to continually develop innovative research tools that can be used to accurately predict human outcomes or to explain unanticipated human outcomes when they occur. The CellPort Technologies platform, a suite of human cell-based test systems for drug transporter characterization, exemplifies Absorption Systems' commitment to innovation and is soon to be an industry assay standard for in vitro drug interaction assessment. Absorption Systems has facilities near Philadelphia, PA, and in San Diego, CA, and serves customers throughout the world. For information on the company's comprehensive contract services and applied research programs, please visit absorption.com.

Contact:
Chris Bode, PhD, VP Scientific and Corporate Communications
1-610-280-1451
[email protected]

SOURCE Absorption Systems