Organon Invests in State-of-the-art Automation Platforms in Drug Discovery Laboratories to Improve Productivity
OSS, The Netherlands, Sept. 13, 2006 –Organon has today introduced new state-of-the-art robotic systems at its research sites in Oss (The Netherlands) and Newhouse (Scotland) to re-equip its high throughput screening (HTS) facilities for in vitro testing of compounds as part of ongoing efforts to improve productivity in drug discovery.
The systems, supplied by Beckman Coulter, will replace the existing HTS facilities in molecular pharmacology departments with platforms that are also capable of automating downstream hit optimization and lead optimization screening. As such, they will greatly improve productivity in drug discovery. The project – representing an investment of Euro 8 million – has been executed in parallel with a similar investment in a new Automated Compound Store that houses the Organon compound library at its research facility in Newhouse, Scotland.
Once a biological target has been identified, hundreds of thousands of compounds are tested for activity on the selected target. However the next steps in the drug discovery process - hit optimization and lead optimization – have to date been carried out independently. The new systems will perform all aspects of in vitro screening testing including HTS and related optimization testing of promising lead compounds in an automated manner, thus greatly improving the efficiency and cost effectiveness of the process. This will enable the project teams to make faster and better decisions and will provide a valuable information resource for future projects.
David Nicholson, executive vice president Research and Development at Organon commented: “These significant investments to further automate our drug discovery process are crucial to our ambitions to become a leading global biopharmaceutical company, bringing the next generation of therapeutics to patients. The implementation of the new Automated Compound Store and these measures to fully integrate the research environment can, and will, make a real difference to the success of our endeavors to fuel our future pipeline.”
Organon selected Beckman Coulter technology, including Biomek Liquid Handlers and various transportation robots controlled by new SAMI® EX software, for the project. Elaborating on the choice of partner, Steven van Helden, director HTS & Technology at Organon in Oss, added, “It was essential for us to find a robotic system which would be very user-friendly, as well as modular, scalable and flexible because we will be using the new equipment for a large number of different projects across our diverse therapeutic areas of interest. Working with Beckman Coulter has given us the ability to program complex procedures involving multiple automated plate transport systems quickly and simply.”
Chris Neary, vice president of Biomarker Discovery and Automation Business for Beckman Coulter, said, “We have enjoyed collaborating closely with Organon to develop a system that meets their specific drug discovery needs. This is precisely the kind of research opportunity where Beckman Coulter is able to lend our expertise and truly partner with researchers to develop a very specific automated lab solution that helps achieve their stringent quality, cost and efficiency objectives. He adds, “It is always an exciting part of our job to see what improving research productivity can do to make advancements in drug discovery possible.”
About Organon
Organon – with shared head offices in Roseland, NJ, USA and Oss, The Netherlands – creates, manufactures and markets innovative prescription medicines that improve the health and quality of human life. Through a combination of independent growth and business partnerships, Organon strives to remain or become one of the leading biopharmaceutical companies in each of its core therapeutic fields: fertility, gynecology, anesthesia and neuroscience. Research areas also include immunology and oncology. Organon products are sold in over 100 countries, of which more than 60 have an Organon subsidiary. Organon is the human health care business unit of Akzo Nobel.
Mrs. Monique Mols
N.V. Organon (Communications)
Visiting address: Molenstraat 110
5342 CC Oss
The Netherlands
Mailing address: P.O. Box 20
5340 BH Oss
The Netherlands
Phone +31.412.66.54.40
Fax: +31.412.66.25.68
Email address: monique.mols@organon.com
