Caliper Acquires Amphora's Technology for Cell-Based Assays

In a move that will aid its development of a new assay for studying G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR), Caliper Life Sciences, Inc. (Hopkinton, MA, USA) has entered into an agreement with Amphora Discovery Corp. (Research Triangle Park, NC, USA) to acquire technology developed by Amphora for cell-based screening assays.

Amphora has developed broad assay expertise for a number of target classes. Under the agreement, the company will transfer to Caliper its proprietary cell culture techniques as well as various hardware and software upgrades that Amphora has implemented on Caliper's proprietary microfluidic screening system. In exchange, Caliper will compensate Amphora through a combination of cash, Caliper products, and royalties based on future sales of cell-based assays.

Caliper will incorporate the acquired technology into a new calcium-flux assay to provide versatility, ease of use, and high quality, single-cell data for scientists studying G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR). Requiring only 1,000 cells per well, the new assay will eliminate the requirement for extensive cell culture facilities and will enable screeners to study cells that are in short supply (e.g., blood platelets and neurons), thereby opening up an area of study that is inaccessible to standard microplate-based technologies.

"Calipher and Amphora have developed a truly symbiotic relationship, as evidenced by Amphora's recent announcement regarding their agreement with Aventis to deploy Caliper's microfluidics technology on a global scale,” said Kevin Hrusovsky, president and CEO at Caliper. Amphora employs Caliper's microfluidics technology as a key element in developing high-value drugs for the pharmaceutical industry.




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