Online Monitoring of Cellular Metabolism Used to Evaluate Drug Candidates

The never-ending search for new drugs demanded development of reliable and cost-effective methods for monitoring the effects of candidate compounds on living cells and tissues.

Towards this end the drug developer Solvay Pharmaceuticals GmbH (Hannover, Germany) has signed a service contract with Bionas GmbH (Rostock, Germany), specialists in analytical systems and services for in vitro profiling of cellular metabolic activity.

Under the terms of the agreement the Bionas 2500 analyzing system will be used to profile several drug candidates identified in the context of Solvay´s obesity research program. The Bionas 2500 system permits monitoring of both acute and chronic effects of drug candidates in different cell types thanks to a proprietary perfusion system. It is a bench-top instrument that allows the simultaneous, label-free and high-content analysis of three metabolic parameters, such as acidification, oxygen consumption, and adhesion of living cells. Readouts are performed continuously and can be monitored online.

"The Bionas instrument is a valuable tool for compound ranking and helps us select the most promising compounds for further development,” said Dr. Michael Firnges, an investigator at Solvay Pharmaceuticals GmbH.


Related Links:
Solvay Pharmaceuticals GmbH
Bionas GmbH