LGC Standards and Abcellute in agreement to bring a revolutionary new approach to the preservation of hepatocyte cells for use in preclinical drug discovery to the European research community
Hepatocytes - cells from the liver which play a key role in the metabolism of many prescription drugs - are widely used throughout the pharmaceutical discovery community to uncover the key toxicological effects of many potential new drug candidates.
Traditionally, refrigeration at +4C has been used to slow down cell metabolism and increase the shelf life of fresh cells, but is unable to halt the irreversible metabolic changes which occur within the cell.
As a result many researchers have resorted to using cells stored frozen in liquid nitrogen (cryopreservation).
Under these extreme conditions, some of the cells will survive for long periods, but the subsequent yield of the thawed cells is very low.
Moreover, many of the natural metabolic systems are considerably diminished in activity, resulting in the use of a cell which does not represent all of the natural characteristics of a living cell.
The cell preservation technology developed by the scientists at Abcellute uses a patented mixture of nutrients and immersion of the cells in a unique matrix which coats and protects them allowing cell survival for up to five days with minimal loss of function.
In particular the maintenance of phase 2 enzyme activity will be key in providing scientists using the Abcellute cells with a product comparable to using fresh cells with the convenience of an extended shelf life.
Cells preserved using the Abcellute matrix are stored easily at 10C for up to five days where they remain in their original native state.
Prior to use, the cells are re-activated and subsequently behave as normal fresh cells, retaining their 'intact whole organ' characteristics.
Using the 'fresh' cells preserved by the Abcellute technology reduces the need for daily extraction of fresh cells and the risks associated with toxicological evaluations using cryopreserved cells which may not effectively mimic the in-vivo situation.
Commenting on the potential that the Abcellute technology brings to the drug discovery market place, Matthias Brommer, director, LGC Standards, said: "We are excited by the synergy that this collaboration will create.
"The ability to preserve hepatocyte cells as 'fresh' for five days will bring greater convenience, and an improved understanding of the potential for many new compounds, and hence contribute significantly to the understanding of each new candidate's potential.
"The technology offers huge potential savings to drug discovery research and pre clinical testing costs in particular".
"LGC's strong scientific expertise in cellular toxicology combined with our international logistics capabilities will make access to the Abcellute preserved cells to scientists throughout Europe more efficient and we look forward to assisting our customers improve the quality of preclinical information so crucial for cost-effective decision making.
"This commercial partnership is the natural progression of the strong relationship which we have developed with LGC Standards over recent years", said Abcellute's chief executive, Alex Watson.
"Research collaborations, such as the DTI MfB programme (measurement for biotechnology) created a platform for the building of respect for each other's core expertise and commercial values.
"The subsequent adoption of the Abcellute preservation technology by LGC Standards was a major milestone in the evolution of the commercial partnership.
"Now, with the implementation of this agreement, Abcellute it will gain significant commercial benefit from LGC Standard's professional, credible and effective reach into the European drug discovery marketplace".
