PerkinElmer and Axxam to Deliver Advanced Screening Solutions for Drug Discovery
22 May 2007PerkinElmer, Inc., a global technology leader in Health Sciences and Photonics, today announced that it signed a worldwide licensing agreement with Axxam SpA, a Milan, Italy-based company focused on early-stage discovery research and services for the life science industry, to become the exclusive provider of Axxam's Photina® photoprotein technology to the drug discovery market.
The Photina® technology is a luminescent cell-based assay platform optimized for screening important drug discovery targets, including G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) and ion channels. The terms of the agreement also provide for a formal research and development program between PerkinElmer and Axxam to develop additional Photina® GPCR and ion channel cell lines for use in high throughput screening and compound profiling. Axxam retains the rights to use the technology for its discovery services to third parties.
"This agreement strengthens our position as a leading supplier of GPCR screening solutions and continues our efforts to build the most comprehensive offering in cellular screening and drug discovery reagent technologies," said Robert F. Friel, president of PerkinElmer Life and Analytical Sciences. "The addition of the Photina® platform enables PerkinElmer to support our biopharmaceutical customers with a comprehensive solution for luminescence screening technology as they transition from traditional fluorescence assay platforms to more efficient, cost effective luminescence platforms."
Today's announcement builds upon PerkinElmer's recent acquisition of Euroscreen Products and its innovative AequoScreen® aequorin-based cellular assay platform. The combination of the AequoScreen and Photina® technologies allows PerkinElmer to provide its customers with a total solution for flash luminescence instrumentation and reagents. Both the AequoScreen and Photina® platforms are based on a proven luminescence technology that generates higher quality data, while reducing the number of false positives in GPCR and ion channel screening applications. PerkinElmer estimates that more than half of all high throughput screening laboratories will move from traditional kinetic fluorescence assays to flash luminescence technologies within two years.
The Photina® platform complements PerkinElmer's existing assay development platforms, including VICTOR™ Light, EnVision® Cell Station, MicroBeta® JET and LumiLux® cellular screening platform, which have broad potential for identifying cellular targets in a wide range of disease areas.