• Revolutionary microfluidic technology accelerates the drug discovery process
• Increased productivity and reduced costs through prevalidated miniaturized assays
• High performance and high reproducibility for a wide range of automated drug discovery applications

Zurich, Switzerland, 8 November 2002  – Tecan, a leading player in the Life Science supply industry, today announced the launch of the LabCD-ADMET System, a revolutionary technology that radically accelerates drug discovery assays. For the first time, researchers have access to an automated system that delivers high performance and reliability to a wide range of drug discovery assays. The new system initially supports important applications in secondary drug screening assays. These include a family of cytochrome P450 inhibition assays for measuring drug-drug interactions and a family of serum protein-binding assays for measuring the binding characteristics of drug compounds at different serum protein-binding sites.

Due to the high costs associated with drug development and the low success rate during clinical trials, life science companies are making major efforts to integrate high throughput ADMET (Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion and Toxicity) assays into their drug discovery programs. To accelerate drug discovery assays, the LabCD-ADMET System combines microscale fluid paths, reaction chambers, and passive valves on a disposable compact disc that operates on one easy-to-use automated platform (Genesis 150). As such, it offers biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies an important route to determine more quickly the suitability of lead compounds or molecules as potential drug candidates.

Tecan’s microfluidic technology platform reduces all  of the required steps for a wide variety of separation and assay procedures from a macro- to a microscale and integrates them into a single and affordable LabCD device. Through advanced miniaturization, the LabCD allows users to use less than 10 microliters of each reagent for a drug discovery assay.

The LabCD-ADMET System was officially launched at two major meetings held recently in the United States and Europe. Systems performing applications for a family of cytochrome P450 isoenzyme inhibition assays and a family of serum protein-binding assays were on display at the Annual Drug Discovery Technology World Congress held on 4-9 August, in Boston, USA, and at the 8th Annual Conference and Exhibition for the Society for Biomolecular Screening held at the Hague, The Netherlands on 22-26 September, 2002.

Bob Young, President of Tecan Boston, commented: “We are extremely pleased to have launched the first LabCD-ADMET Systems at these premiere international meetings for drug discovery. Experts and leaders from the academic, pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors were able to see first-hand how our validated miniaturized systems are able to increase productivity and reduce costs for a range of key drug discovery applications.”

The secondary screening assays which have just been launched are the first applications for the groundbreaking LabCD-ADMET System. In the first half of 2003, new commercial applications will be launched to study the interaction of potential drugs with P-glycoprotein (Mdr1/PGP-ATPase application) and the glucoronidation of compounds in the presence of liver microsomes (UGT or UDP-glucuronosyltransferase activity). Both of these tests are key steps in the development of new drugs in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.    

For more information, please contact :

Tecan:

Dr. Emile C. Sutcliffe
Chief Executive Officer
Tel.: +41 (0)44 922 81 11
Fax: +41 (0)44 922 88 89
e-mail: investor@tecan.com
Internet: www.tecan.com

Rochat & Partners:

Rochat & Partners
Christophe Lamps 
Tel.: +41 (0)22 786 54 55
Fax: +41 (0)22 786 54 58
e-mail: clamps@rochat-pr.ch