Press Releases
Molecular Devices Introduces Two Assay Kits For Early ADME Screening
Sunnyvale, Calif. April 8, 2005 — Molecular Devices Corporation (NASDAQ: MDCC) today announced the introduction of two new reagent products for ADME assay screening—Transil® Membrane Affinity and Transil Human Serum Albumin (HSA) Binding assay kits. The Transil assay kits provide lead optimization and high-throughput screening laboratories with fast, automatable, direct, biologically relevant solutions to increase the throughput of ADME-related compound profiling.
The Transil Membrane Affinity assay provides data that correlates better to in vivo studies compared to the more conventional water/octanol partitioning assays because it uses beads which are coated with a lipid bilayer that mimic interactions between compounds and cell membranes. The results are equivalent to the liposome "gold standard" method, without the tedious preparation of liposomes.
The Transil HSA Binding assay kit makes routine, high-throughput HSA binding characterization easy because it contains beads which have been coated with human serum albumin and pre-dispensed into a microplate format. The pre-dispensed format increases throughput via parallel sample preparation and assay reading on Molecular Devices' SpectraMax® microplate readers.
With the Transil assays, there is virtually no methods development required, as each kit contains data analysis routines for processing high-throughput screening of drug candidates for early ADME characterization. Furthermore, the assays share nearly identical sample workup steps, so steps developed for one assay are immediately applicable to the other.
Commenting on the launch, Christopher Silva, Director of Marketing for Life Sciences Products at Molecular Devices stated, "The Transil assay kits enable screening of compound libraries for membrane affinity and HSA binding for early ADME properties which are not possible with current low-throughput methods. These new assays require only one sample concentration, which simplifies automation. Additionally, turnkey data analysis offers researchers compound data within hours of synthesis or secondary screening. Because we have integrated these assays with our SpectraMax® microplate reader line, we have provided a more complete solution to our customers."
The kits are available in two formats for 96- or 384-well microplates. The "high precision" version is ideal for profiling compounds at the lead optimization stage of drug discovery; the "high throughput" version allows characterization of compound libraries.
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Molecular Devices Corporation is a leading supplier of high-performance bioanalytical measurement systems that accelerate and improve drug discovery and other life sciences research. The Company's systems and consumables enable pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to leverage advances in genomics, proteomics and parallel chemistry to facilitate the high-throughput and cost-effective identification and evaluation of drug candidates. The Company's solutions are based on its advanced core technologies that integrate its expertise in engineering, molecular and cell biology and chemistry. Molecular Devices enables its customers to improve research productivity and effectiveness, which ultimately accelerates the complex process of discovering and developing new drugs.
This press release contains "forward-looking" statements, including statements related to the prospects for or potential customer use of the IMAP Substrate Finder products. Any statements contained in this press release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Words such as "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "will," and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause the results of Molecular Devices Corporation to differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements, including, among others, risks related to the development of new products and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's SEC reports, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2004. Molecular Devices Corporation does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements.
Molecular Devices Introduces Third Imap® Substrate Finder For Kinases
Sunnyvale, Calif. March 21, 2005 — Molecular Devices Corporation (Nasdaq: MDCC) today announced the introduction of its third IMAP® Substrate Finder for kinases, following the launch of its first two in 2004. The IMAP Substrate Finder products are essential tools for the identification and characterization of optimal kinase substrates, and enable researchers to significantly accelerate their kinase assay development for known and newly-identified kinases. Together the three IMAP Substrate Finders provide an array of more than 150 kinase substrates that cover representative kinases for all areas of the human kinome
The Substrate Finders are based on Molecular Devices' IMAP platform, which provides advanced tools for assay development and high throughput screening (HTS) of kinases, one of the most important target classes in drug discovery today. In pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, it is estimated that over 20% of the drug discovery efforts are focused on protein kinase inhibitors. A wide range of diseases, including cancer, inflammation, diabetes, congestive heart failure and neurological damage, are related to kinase malfunction. Finding tools that can provide quick, reliable solutions for targeting kinase inhibitors is critical to the acceleration of the drug discovery process.
"The pharmaceutical industry has recognized the therapeutic potential of protein kinase inhibitors. For example, there are several successful cancer drugs on the market that inhibit kinases, such as Gleevec® and IREESA™, and approximately 25 protein kinase inhibitors in different stages of clinical development," stated Susan Clark, Director of Reagents Marketing at Molecular Devices. "Drug development in this area is in its infancy and with over 500 protein kinases in the human kinome, it represents a major opportunity for new drug targets. Furthermore, the scientific and technical design of the IMAP platform allows researchers to move through assay development, screening and hit evaluation with virtually any kinase. We are pleased that IMAP continues to be the preferred platform to screen for kinase activity."
Protein kinases play a broad role in cell signaling and are involved in almost every major cellular process. Since kinases are involved in so many vital cellular processes, they are inextricably linked to onset and progression of many disease states. Researchers are aggressively seeking new novel drug compounds to inhibit the kinases responsible for these diseases. One of the major roadblocks facing pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies is in the early stages of assay development when searching for a suitable kinase substrate. The IMAP Substrate Finder accelerates this difficult task by providing a quick, sensitive, yet inexpensive method to screen dozens of substrates in a couple of hours versus days or weeks.
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Molecular Devices Corporation is a leading supplier of high-performance bioanalytical measurement systems that accelerate and improve drug discovery and other life sciences research. The Company's systems and consumables enable pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to leverage advances in genomics, proteomics and parallel chemistry to facilitate the high-throughput and cost-effective identification and evaluation of drug candidates. The Company's solutions are based on its advanced core technologies that integrate its expertise in engineering, molecular and cell biology and chemistry. Molecular Devices enables its customers to improve research productivity and effectiveness, which ultimately accelerates the complex process of discovering and developing new drugs.
This press release contains "forward-looking" statements, including statements related to the prospects for or potential customer use of the IMAP Substrate Finder products. Any statements contained in this press release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Words such as "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "will," and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause the results of Molecular Devices Corporation to differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements, including, among others, risks related to the development of new products and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's SEC reports, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2004. Molecular Devices Corporation does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements.
Molecular Devices Acquires Transfluor® Imaging Technology From Xsira Pharmaceuticals
Sunnyvale, Calif., March 9, 2005 — Molecular Devices Corporation (Nasdaq: MDCC) today announced that it has acquired the complete portfolio of Transfluor® technology assets from Xsira Pharmaceuticals, Incorporated (formerly Norak Biosciences, Incorporated) for $11 million cash. This transaction strengthens Molecular Devices' leadership position as a provider of tools for both imaging and G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) assays, two of the most important and fastest-growing areas of drug discovery.
Transfluor® technology, comprising proprietary assays that operate on imaging platforms such as Molecular Devices' Discovery-1 and ImageXpress® systems, offers a robust way to visualize key cellular events and to detect receptor activation. Because of its nearly universal applicability to all types of GPCRs, the leading class of drug targets, Transfluor® technology has become a popular tool for drug discovery.
Commenting on the transaction, Dr. Michael Sjaastad, Molecular Devices' Director of Marketing, Imaging, said, "Transfluor® technology is a perfect fit for Molecular Devices and further confirms our commitment to provide novel imaging solutions to the drug discovery market. With a product portfolio that includes Transfluor® technology, our Fluorometric Imaging Plate Reader (FLIPR®), and reagents, Molecular Devices now offers best-in-class screening solutions for every major type of GPCR target."
Xsira Pharmaceuticals, which commercialized Transfluor® technology based on research conducted at Duke University, will now focus on its own drug discovery program using a license to Transfluor® technology granted by Molecular Devices. "We are excited to see Molecular Devices, a world-class bioanalytical tools company, step into the role of commercializing Transfluor® technology and managing its further evolution," said Roger Blevins, Pharm.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Xsira. "Transfluor® technology has proven to be an enabling system for GPCR-based drug discovery at Xsira and many other pharmaceutical companies, and we are confident that Molecular Devices is the best company to ensure its continued success."
Molecular Devices plans to begin licensing Transfluor® technology and related materials to customers in the second quarter of 2005. Parties interested in Transfluor® technology should contact their Molecular Devices sales representative.
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About Molecular Devices Corporation
Molecular Devices Corporation is a leading developer of high-performance, bioanalytical measurement systems that accelerate and improve drug discovery and other life sciences research. Molecular Devices' systems and consumables enable pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to leverage advances in genomics and combinatorial chemistry by facilitating the high-throughput and cost-effective identification and evaluation of drug technologies that integrate its expertise in engineering, molecular and cell biology, and chemistry. Molecular Devices enables its customers to improve research productivity and effectiveness, which ultimately accelerates the complex process of discovering and developing new drugs. Molecular Devices' website is at www.moleculardevices.com.
About Xsira Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Xsira Pharmaceuticals, Inc., headquartered in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, is a private biotechnology company. Xsira is using various technologies including Transfluor® to become a world leader in the discovery and development of drugs that regulate GPCRs. For more information about Xsira, please visit the company's website at www.xsira.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains "forward-looking" statements, including statements related to the commercial potential of the Transfluor® technology and Molecular Devices' plans to begin licensing Transfluor® technology and related materials to customers. Any statements contained in this press release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Words such as "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "will," and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, risks associated with technology acquisitions, such as the potential inability to realize the expected benefits of the transaction, potential difficulties in the assimilation of the acquired technology and the risk of diversion of management attention from other business concerns, and general business risks including, among others, risks detailed from time to time in Molecular Devices' SEC reports, including its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2004. Molecular Devices Corporation does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements.
Molecular Devices Introduces IonWorks® Quattro™ System for Accelerated Ion Channel Screening
Sunnyvale, Calif., February 10, 2005 — Molecular Devices Corporation (Nasdaq: MDCC), today announced the introduction of IonWorks Quattro, a second-generation ion channel screening instrument with four times the throughput capability over its predecessor, the IonWorks HT. The IonWorks Quattro system was developed using Molecular Devices' Population Patch Clamp™ technology, a revolutionary new approach in the planar patch clamp technique. The system will debut at the Biophysical Society Annual Meeting, February 12-16 in Long Beach, California at Molecular Devices' Booth #302.
The IonWorks Quattro system employs a new PatchPlate™ Population Patch Clamp (PPC) substrate, a 384-well planar array that is designed to allow ion channel recordings to be simultaneously collected from multiple cells within each well. The IonWorks Quattro system has shown success rates of 95% or more, which are so high that it is not necessary to apply test compounds redundantly to four wells, thus enabling an immediate four-fold throughput improvement and up to 50% reduction in cost per data point over the IonWorks HT system—the highest throughput electrophysiological screening system available until now.
"The PPC technology utilized by the IonWorks Quattro system extends the multi-cell robustness inherent in Molecular Devices' existing fluorescence screening instruments, such as FLIPR®, to electrophysiology," stated Alan Finkel, Chief Technology Officer at Molecular Devices. "All previous electrophysiological recording systems are limited by the success rate that is achievable with a single cell in a well, which is unlikely to exceed 70% consistently, even under the best of circumstances. The PPC technique is designed to remove the dependence on the expression levels or viability of individual cells, thereby enabling each well to measure the response to a population of cells."
"The increased throughput and reduced cost-per-data-point of this system makes it both feasible and affordable to conduct primary screening campaigns of directed library sets," stated Dr. Shawn Handran, IonWorks Quattro Product Marketing Manager at Molecular Devices. "In addition, the IonWorks Quattro is fully compatible with IonWorks HT technology, supporting both the original PatchPlate and new PatchPlate PPC substrates."
Ion channels are an important therapeutic target class for diseases of the cardiovascular and central nervous systems. The Company believes that IonWorks Quattro is ideal for many of these applications, from primary screening of directed compound libraries, to hit confirmation, selectivity testing and lead optimization. Ion channels are also important in early safety testing. The IonWorks Quattro system is designed to be used for early screening of lead candidates for unintentional activity on ion channels, such as the cardiac potassium channel, human ether-à-go-go-related gene (hERG).
At the Biophysical Society Annual Meeting, Dr. Finkel will give a technical presentation on the IonWorks Quattro system and Population Patch Clamp technology in a special exhibitor's presentation session on February 13th at 1:30 p.m., Long Beach Convention Center, Room 204.
Molecular Devices Corporation is a leading supplier of high-performance bioanalytical measurement systems that accelerate and improve drug discovery and other life sciences research. The Company's systems and consumables enable pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to leverage advances in genomics, proteomics and parallel chemistry to facilitate the high-throughput and cost-effective identification and evaluation of drug candidates. The Company's solutions are based on its advanced core technologies that integrate its expertise in engineering, molecular and cell biology and chemistry. Molecular Devices enables its customers to improve research productivity and effectiveness, which ultimately accelerates the complex process of discovering and developing new drugs.
This press release contains "forward-looking" statements, including statements related to the prospects for or potential customer use of the IonWorks Quattro system. Any statements contained in this press release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Words such as "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "will," and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause the results of Molecular Devices Corporation to differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements, including, among others, risks related to the development of new products and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's SEC reports, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2003, as amended, and its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2004. Molecular Devices Corporation does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements.
Molecular Devices Introduces Fatty Acid Uptake Assay to Target Metabolic Diseases
Sunnyvale, Calif., January 11, 2005 – Molecular Devices Corporation (Nasdaq: MDCC), today announced the launch of its QBT™ Fatty Acid Uptake Assay Kit, the first assay kit that addresses the need for a single-step, homogenous in vitro assay for fatty acid uptake for use in high-throughput screening and metabolic disease research.
Defects in fatty acid metabolism have been linked to several pathological states, including insulin desensitization, Type 2 diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease. The development of fatty acid uptake regulators as potential drugs is dependent upon having a rapid assay that can be used in high-throughput screening. Conventional assays using radioisotopes are expensive and time-consuming and have limited the ability of drug researchers to identify potential new drugs via high-throughput screening. The QBT Fatty Acid Uptake Assay removes these limitations by providing a rapid, reproducible, inexpensive method for laboratory screening.
Susan Williams-Clark, Director of Marketing at Molecular Devices stated, “Working together with researchers at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation’s Research Division, we have applied our proprietary quench technology to develop the first single-step homogenous assay for fatty acid uptake. Since this assay uses a fluorescence-based readout rather than a radioactivity-based one, it eliminates the safety risks associated with conventional radiolabel assays, in addition to being faster and easier to perform.”
Williams-Clark continued, “Prior to the development of this assay, it was extremely difficult for drug discovery researchers to study fatty acid uptake processes and identify new regulators. We believe that the QBT Fatty Acid Uptake Assay Kit will enable high-throughput screening of these drug targets and enhance fatty acid metabolism research.”
Similar to Molecular Devices’ FLIPR Assay Kits, the QBT Fatty Acid Uptake Assay eliminates the need for cell washing steps, resulting in a faster, more streamlined route to drug discovery.
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About Molecular Devices Corporation
Molecular Devices Corporation is a leading supplier of high-performance bioanalytical measurement systems that accelerate and improve drug discovery and other life sciences research. The Company’s systems and consumables enable pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to leverage advances in genomics, proteomics and combinatorial chemistry by facilitating the high-throughput and cost-effective identification and evaluation of drug candidates. The Company’s solutions are based on its advanced core technologies that integrate its expertise in engineering, molecular and cell biology and chemistry. Molecular Devices enables its customers to improve research productivity and effectiveness, which ultimately accelerates the complex process of discovering and developing new drugs.
This press release contains "forward-looking" statements, including statements related to the prospects for or potential customer use of the QBTTM Fatty Acid Uptake Assay Kit. Any statements contained in this press release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Words such as "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "will," and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause the results of Molecular Devices Corporation to differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements, including, among others, risks related to the development of new products and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's SEC reports, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2003, as amended, and its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2004. Molecular Devices Corporation does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements.
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