Predictive toxicology allies aim to cut late stage failures

The firms claim the service will help identify drug candidates that could fail when they reach clinical trials, allowing customers to concentrate resources on the most promising compounds.

Katya Tsaioun, president of Apredica, said: “Our joint service offering with Gentronix will provide new information that drug-discovery teams can use to reduce the risk of expensive, later stage failure, to increase the likelihood of program success, and to accelerate their programs towards IND​.”

The service will provide predictive toxicology results based on a set of assays that the companies claim can accurately predict many know mechanisms of toxicity in humans.

By doing this clients can save millions of dollars and years of research by eliminating “sure-to-fail candidates​” in early-stage development, according to the companies.

Tsaioun added: “Many of these failures could have been avoided through the application of early ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism​ and excretion) testing and toxicity profiling, which can quickly and cost-effectively identify drug candidates with characteristics that would preclude regulatory approval​. “

The service could be beneficial to pharmaceutical companies and biotechs that are keen to cut development costs and reduce the likelihood of a candidate failing to get to market.

The alliance​

By forming a partnership the companies can provide a suite of predictive in vitro​ toxicology services, with both using their respective strengths.

Gentronix has developed hazard identification assays for genotoxicity through its GreenScreen and BlueScreen technology. It believes these assays can reduce attrition rates and are superior to other genotoxicity test, providing more accurate predictions of in vivo ​risk.

Apredica is a specialist ADME-Tox contract research organisation (CRO) that believes it can help “de-risk drug-discovery programmes​”. The companies have been working together for over a year.