DiscoveRx Enables Predictive In Vitro Drug Combination Studies with Launch of BioMAP® Combo ELECT

FREMONT, Calif., May 21, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Drug developers seeking early understanding of the potential safety and synergistic activity of drug combinations in order to discover and develop optimal combination therapies and design better, more efficient clinical trials can now do so through primary human cell-based models offered by DiscoveRx Corporation through its BioSeek® division. BioMAP Combo ELECT enables the in vitro testing of drug combinations in the context of human biology for potential safety risks and improved therapeutic effects, thus supporting the discovery and development of optimal combination therapies prior to clinical trials.

With BioMAP Combo ELECT studies:

• Gain novel insights into possible drug pairings with the greatest potential for efficacy;
• Discover therapeutic combinations with novel additive or antagonistic effects;
• Determine biologically optimal dose ranges and drug ratios for combination drug effects; and
• Determine risk of potential adverse events resulting from drug combinations

BioMAP Combo ELECT lets developers test drug combinations in any BioMAP primary human cell assay and compare the resulting differential activity profiles of the drug combination to profiles of each single agent tested alone. The results facilitate the identification of drug combinations that may be additive, synergistic or antagonistic across an extensive panel of in vitro disease models utilizing early passage human primary cells covering a wide range of human biology.

"Drug combinations have emerged as a powerful way to provide more effective therapy by offering a strategy that overcomes potential resistance to a single agent or offers a multi-pronged approach to treating complex diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and infectious diseases," said Ellen Berg, Ph.D., Scientific Director and General Manager of BioSeek. "Until now, however, it has often been difficult and costly for drug and biologics developers to identify and develop efficacious combination treatments with manageable safety profiles or to select dosing regimens that optimize both safety and efficacy. BioMAP Combo ELECT offers for the first time, the capability of understanding the biological effects of putative drug combinations and concentrations in humans before entering clinical trials."

Pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies can use that knowledge to greatly facilitate the development of drug treatments that improve patient outcomes while broadening markets for both new and already marketed therapeutics.  However, application of the Combo ELECT service extends well beyond simply the pre-clinical and development markets; by introducing a rapid, predictive, cost effective in vitro solution, discovery groups are afforded the ability to rescue 'at risk' compounds due to lack of efficacy or even conceive and develop combination focused programs from the outset.

"There is a compelling and urgent need for faster and comprehensive approaches to test new drugs and combination therapies with respect to predicting and comparing potential clinical benefits or adverse events," said Markus R. John, M.D., Group International Medical Director, Roche Global Medical Affairs. "For example, the ability to evaluate potential new combinations versus their respective monotherapies in physiologically-related in vitro human disease models in a time, capacity and cost-effective manner represents a significant advancement to support the design and development of new potential therapeutic strategies."

"This new BioMAP Combo ELECT service offering underscores DiscoveRx's commitment to providing drug developers with innovative technology, products, information, and expertise to enable the efficient discovery and development of optimal compounds for disease intervention," said Dr. Pyare Khanna, President and Chief Executive Officer, DiscoveRx Corporation.

DiscoveRx and BioMAP Combo ELECT at World Pharma Congress
Learn more about BioMAP Combo ELECT and other DiscoveRx product and expert service offerings that make complex drug discovery and development problems simple by visiting the DiscoveRx booth, No. 12, at the 2014 World Pharma Congress, May 21 – 23, at the Westin Boston Waterfront, Boston, Massachusetts.

About DiscoveRx Corporation
DiscoveRx develops and markets industry-leading products, technology and scientific expertise worldwide to accelerate the successful discovery and development of safer, more effective therapeutics and chemicals. The company's innovative research platforms, products, knowledge content and scientific expertise support both phenotypic and target-based approaches and enable DiscoveRx customers to address key questions across the R&D process, from target identification through preclinical development, toxicology testing and beyond. DiscoveRx can support in-house research efforts with specific products or provide a complete solution to complex R&D problems using its proprietary technology and team of experienced senior scientists.

DiscoveRx's capabilities are encompassed by its three proprietary technology platforms:

• PathHunter®, HitHunter® and InCELL Hunter™: β-galactosidase-based enzyme fragment complementation
• The BioMAP® Systems platform, based on primary human cells and co-cultures, which provides a uniquely predictive in vitro tool for investigative toxicology and assessing the mode of action of drugs, chemicals and new materials in the context of human biology.

Utilizing these proprietary platforms, DiscoveRx has developed and commercialized industry leading panels of over 1000 target-based and primary cell-based assay systems for Oncology, Metabolic Disease, Inflammation, CNS and Cardiovascular drug discovery research. Many of DiscoveRx's innovative solutions have been widely adopted in pharmaceutical, biotechnology and academic laboratories worldwide.

DiscoveRx is a privately held, venture-backed company headquartered in Fremont, California, with additional offices in San Diego, CA, South San Francisco, CA and Birmingham, England. For more information on the company, please visit our website at http://www.discoverx.com .

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SOURCE DiscoveRx