Promega and Celsis In Vitro Technologies to Offer More Reliable Solutions for ADME/Tox Testing in Primary Hepatocytes

Business Wire, Feb 9, 2009

MADISON, Wis. -- Promega Corp. and Baltimore, Md.-based Celsis In Vitro Technologies (Celsis IVT) will take the trial and guess work out of ADME/Tox testing in primary hepatocytes. Promega will co-market their bioluminescent ADME-Tox assays with Celsis' extensive line of high quality cryopreserved plateable hepatocytes. Under the agreement, Celsis will pre-qualify lots of cryoplateable hepatocytes for use with specific P450-Glo CYP Assays to study cytochrome P450 gene induction and inhibition. In addition, Celsis will also validate cryopreserved lots of hepatocytes for use with Promega GSH-Glo Glutathione Assay for investigating mechanisms of hepatotoxicity.

"Combining validated biologic components with Promega's ultra-sensitive and dynamic luminescence assay detection technology is a significant benefit to scientists," said Philip M. Vorwald, vice president and general manager of Celsis IVT. "Our research has confirmed the higher predictive value and accuracy of the combined assay for identifying adverse side-effects in new chemical entities," he said. "Plus, it's significantly faster than traditional studies."

Determining whether a particular lot of hepatocytes will work for a given application is time-consuming and costly. Much of the effort involves trial and error. Even when a suitable lot of hepatocytes is identified, current LC/MS technologies for measuring gene expression, enzyme activity or metabolite formation are expensive or involve lengthy incubations times that often require several days to process. This collaborative effort between Promega and Celsis IVT will enable scientists to quickly and easily identify and select both products that have been validated to work together, saving valuable time and resources, increasing efficiency and leading to the faster development of safe drugs.

"Secondary screeners in particular are looking for validated ADME/Tox solutions that are more predictive." said Andy Bertera, vice president of marketing at Promega. "Having our ADME/Tox reagents pre-qualified for use with Celsis IVT's extensive line of cryoplateable hepatocytes provides the kind of ease and quality to scientists that is always our goal at Promega. This collaboration will take the guesswork out of ADME testing using primary hepatocyte."

The companies are collaborating on scientific presentations and publications demonstrating effective applications of the validated tools for ADME/Tox studies.

About Promega

Promega Corporation is a leader in providing innovative solutions and technical support to the life sciences industry. The company's 2,000 products enable scientists worldwide to advance their knowledge in genomics, proteomics, cellular analysis, molecular diagnostics and human identification. Founded in 1978, the company is headquartered in Madison, WI, USA with branches in 14 countries and over 50 global distributors. For more information about Promega, visit www.promega.com.

About Celsis In Vitro Technologies

Celsis In Vitro Technologies (Celsis IVT) helps companies reduce the time and cost of drug development by supplying in vitro testing products to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries for screening drug compounds early in the discovery process. Celsis IVT is one of three divisions of Celsis International plc, a world leading provider of innovative life science products and laboratory services to industry. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange (CEL.L). More information is online at www.celsis.com.