Making Inroads in Predictive Toxicology
This article was originally published in Start Up
Executive Summary
Given the current "Safety First" mind-set among regulators, it's not surprising that the field of predictive toxicology has been slow to gain traction. Despite significant progress in developing biomarkers, database tools, and other methods, pharma companies continue to rely heavily on traditional methods for assessing potential drug toxicities. Even if investors are shy now, many say that they will eventually be a beneficiary of predictive toxicology, and that comes as good news to start-ups in the space.
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Cellular Dynamics International Inc.
Cellular Dynamics International Inc. is using induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, derived from adult cells, as drug discovery and development tools. The company is initially pursuing the cardiotoxicity market with iCell cardiomyocytes, which closely resemble in vivo cardiomyocytes, even beating in unison in a cell culture dish. When exposed to drugs or other external agents, the cells produce electrophysiological and biochemical responses typical of in vivo cardiomyocytes.
Start-Up Previews (10/20080
A preview of the emerging health care companies profiled in the current issue of Start-Up. This month's profile group, "Making Inroads in Predictive Toxicology," features profiles of Cellumen, GliaGen, Horizon Discovery and SimuGen. Plus these Start-Ups Across Health Care: Acacia Pharma, InspireMD, MicroTransponder and Quotient Diagnostics.
SimuGen Ltd.
SimuGen has developed an analysis system that includes a pre-packaged kit that customers can use to test their own compounds. Accompanying client management software then imports the data and sends it to SimuGen's servers for analysis. It produces a dose-response curve for every clinically significant toxicity and also ranks related compounds based on their toxicity profile, allowing medicinal chemists to evaluate potential leads. Finally, clustering analysis reveals how changes to the molecular structure could affect the toxicity profile. The product has been designed to work with relatively few biomarker genes, which simplifies the laboratory procedure and avoids platforms such as microarrays.