GE Healthcare Launches Software to More Efficiently Screen for Genotoxicity of Potential Drug Compounds
Today at the IBC Life Sciences’ High Content Analysis meeting in Washington D.C. GE Healthcare launched the Micronucleus Formation Module. This new software application for IN Cell Analyzer 1000 and 3000 allows screening for genotoxicity early in drug development, saving time and resources.
“The introduction of this software will significantly aid the drug and development process. Instead of testing compounds at the end of the drug discovery process, this technology enables companies to identify compounds with genotoxic activity early in development, saving both time and money,” said John Burczak, vice president of product development for Discovery Systems at GE Healthcare.
The micronuclei assay identifies DNA damage induced by genotoxic compounds and is one of the most critical assays in the FDA approval process for new drugs. The manual method mandated by the FDA can take up to two weeks per compound to score and is consequently used only in the later stages of drug development. When used with the IN Cell Analyzer 3000 the analysis software can image and analyze a 96 well plate of micronucleus assays in under 10 minutes therefore allowing this key genotoxicity assay to be carried out on early stage compounds to eliminate those with genotoxic potential.
“The Micronucleus software makes IN Cell Analyzer the ideal tool for researchers to perform large scale genotoxicity screening accurately and efficiently. GE Healthcare is committed to advancing software analysis capabilities for high content cell-based drug screening and research,” said Burczak.
About GE HealthcareGE Healthcare provides transformational medical technologies that are shaping a new age of patient care. GE Healthcare’s expertise in medical imaging and information technologies, medical diagnostics, patient monitoring and life support systems, disease research, drug discovery, and biopharmaceutical manufacturing technologies is helping physicians detect disease earlier and to tailor personalized treatments for patients. GE Healthcare offers a broad range of products and services that are improving productivity in healthcare and enhancing patient care by enabling healthcare providers to better diagnose and treat cancer, heart disease, neurological diseases, and other conditions. Headquartered in the United Kingdom, GE Healthcare is a $15 billion unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE). Worldwide, GE Healthcare employs more than 43,000 people committed to serving healthcare professionals and their patients in more than 100 countries. |
