Multiple Sites at AstraZeneca are Now Using Dynaflow ™ for Their Ion Channel Drug Discovery
GOTHENBURG, Sweden, June 28 /PRNewswire/ — Cellectricon proudly announces that AstraZeneca has implemented multiple Dynaflow systems on several sites worldwide. AstraZeneca’s integration of Dynaflow into their ion channel drug discovery program is an important validation of the system and proves its unique efficiency features.
Since the introduction of Dynaflow during fall 2003, AstraZeneca has placed several orders for the system and it is now used to meet their need for a cost efficient system. The Dynaflow system is built around a pioneering computer-controlled microfluidic chip used as tool by pharmaceutical companies to perform ion channel drug discovery with high speed and accuracy. The system enables novel ion channel experiments and offers less cost per data point since it gives uncompromised and pharmacologically relevant data at a high throughput. It also dramatically reduces the amount of reagent needed for testing. In August at the Drug Discovery Technology® & Development World Congress a new Dynaflow system will be launched. The system is designed to be used with any cell, any patch configuration, any active substance and any ion channel. The system comes with a new range of chips developed for safety pharmacology and offers maximum yield in hERG studies.
“There is a huge demand for efficient ion channel drug screening tools, but many solutions available today are costly and difficult to implement and manage,” says Ulf Jonsson, CEO of Cellectricon. “AstraZeneca’s decision to continuously invest in the technology is most gratifying and proves Dynaflow’s remarkable productivity increase and cost efficiency.”
“At AstraZeneca we have continued to invest in multiple Dynaflow systems because we find this to be the most flexible, increased throughput ion channel assay systems for use in whole-cell recording. It has allowed us to run experiments and screen compounds on ion channel targets not possible before this system and at a throughput previously inconceivable on these targets,” says Dr. Edwin C. Johnson, Director, CNS/Pain Research Area & Head, Target Biology Department at AstraZeneca R&D, Wilmington, Delaware, US. “We view the Dynaflow as an excellent investment and look forward to more ion channel screening products from Cellectricon.”
“The Dynaflow ™ system has substantially increased our throughput and reduced the amount of compound needed for testing,” says Dr. Ingemar Jacobson, who is Principal Scientist at AstraZeneca R&D in Molndal, Sweden. “The Dynaflow ™ technology is superior in most aspects when compared to other systems on the market.”
About Cellectricon
Cellectricon AB (Gothenburg, Sweden) develops life science tools based on world leading science competences. The products target bottlenecks in the drug discovery process. The first generation of products, Dynaflow ™, provides groundbreaking systems for ion channel drug discovery and offers dramatic productivity increase with major savings in both time and cost. The company was formed in 2000 based on an extensive and solid patent portfolio within different areas such as high-throughput electrophysiology, microfluidics, microfabrication, and electroporation. Cellectricon is a privately held company and the main shareholders are InnovationsKapital, Investor Growth Capital and Karolinska Investment Fund.
