Cellumen And Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation Collaborate In Discovery Toxicology
PITTSBURGH-- (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Cellumen, Inc., a discovery toxicology company, today announced an agreement with Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation (MTPC), one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in Japan, to develop panels of biomarkers that identify toxicity early in the drug development process.
"We're pleased to announce this collaboration with MTPC," says D. Lansing Taylor, PhD, CEO of Cellumen. "By working together to develop biomarker panels, we hope to identify toxic liabilities much earlier in the drug development process than currently exists in the marketplace. Our ultimate goal is to enable MTPC to prioritize its lead drug series."
Cellumen is focused on decreasing the drug attrition rate due to toxicity. The company's CellCiphr® CSB™ Toxicity Profiling Services can identify toxic compounds in late primary screening through early pre-clinical phases, before entering expensive pre-clinical testing where the pharmaceutical industry is losing millions of dollars from drugs that do not meet the FDA's safety requirements. By integrating optimal cells, panels of functional biomarkers and classifier software, CellCiphr is able to create a Safety Risk Index for compounds, and help researchers predict potential rodent or human toxicity earlier than ever before.
About Cellumen
Cellumen is the leading innovator in cellular systems biology (CSB™) solutions providing the most accurate predictions of drug efficacy and safety, thus reducing failure rates and cutting development costs. Cellumen's CSB solutions are driving Discovery Toxicology by addressing the full complexity of disease and safety. Leading global organizations, such as the Mayo Clinic, Hamamatsu Photonics K.K., the EPA, FDA, NIH and top pharmaceutical companies, partner with Cellumen. Cellumen is a partner company of Safeguard Scientifics (NYSE: SFE). Other investors include Novitas Capital, the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse and Innovation Works. For more information about Cellumen, please visit www.cellumen.com.
About Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation
Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation, one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in Japan, specializes in developing and marketing globally competitive pharmaceutical products in the fields of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, brain and nerve diseases, and renal and urinary system diseases. The Company, established through the merger of Tanabe Seiyaku Co., Ltd. and Mitsubishi Pharma Corporation in October 2007, drives for the expansion of its operations and the reinforcement of its future growth with the aim of becoming a global research-driven pharmaceutical company and taking on the challenge of new business opportunities. Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma is committed to protect the health of people around the world and contribute to comfortable lifestyles through creating pharmaceuticals. www.mt-pharma.co.jp.
Copyright 2008 Business Wire All Rights Reserved.