Sanofi-aventis signs a collaboration agreement with RainDance Technologies and Louis Pasteur Univers
The FINANCIAL — Sanofi-aventis announced on September 26 the launch of the dScreen Consortium, a research initiative conducted with RainDance Technologies, Inc., Lexington, Massachusetts, and Louis Pasteur University, Strasbourg, France, to develop the next generation of High-Throughput Screening (HTS) for drug discovery applications.
The consortium was founded with the assistance of the Alsace BioValleyTM Cluster, France, which helped secure financing and support for the program.
The dScreen Consortium assembles:
- the renowned drug screening expertise of sanofi-aventis
- the unique expertise in droplet-based microreactors of the Chemical Biology Laboratory at the Institute for Science and Supramolecular Engineering (ISIS) of Louis Pasteur University
- and RainDance Technologies’ unique capabilities to apply droplet-based microfluidic technologies to human health and disease research.
“We are delighted to enter this partnership with two highly innovative research groups in this rapidly advancing field,” said Martin Galvan Ph.D., Scientific Director at the sanofi-aventis research site in Strasbourg. “The expected gains in terms of productivity and knowledge should significantly accelerate our drug discovery programs”.
Based in the Alsace BioValley in Strasbourg, the consortium will utilize the pico-liter volumes and ultra-high speed capabilities of RainDance’s technology and systems to achieve breakthrough performance in high-throughput drug screening methodologies.
“This exciting project represents the first research collaboration undertaken by our new RainDance Technologies France SARL subsidiary,” said Chris McNary, President and Chief Executive Officer of RainDance Technologies. “The speed, simplicity, and minute volume of our droplets eliminate the need for unnecessarily complex automation solutions in high-throughput screening. Our technology will process 10 million droplets per hour on a single benchtop instrument, dramatically accelerating the drug discovery process while conserving precious screening compounds,” added McNary.
“This project is an excellent opportunity to develop the compartmentalisation of reactions in emulsion droplets for an entirely new field of application: HTS for drug discovery” said Andrew Griffiths, head of the Chemical Biology Laboratory at ISIS. ”University Louis Pasteur is proud to be part of this consortium which will open new scientific routes while generating top scientific lectures to our students” said Jean-Marc Jeltsch, Vice-President, Louis Pasteur University.
“The dScreen Consortium is a great illustration of the “Pôle de Compétitivité” policy in France: the development of breakthrough innovations in drug screening through collaborative R&D programs results in strengthening local actors such as the sanofi-aventis research site and in the creation of a subsidiary of an US company in Alsace. Furthermore, the establishment of a drug screening services platform based on the results of the program will reinforce the capabilities of our cluster” underlined Pascal Neuville, President of Alsace BioValley.
