BioMAP Combo ELECT enables the in vitro testing of drug combinations in the context of human biology for potential safety risks and improved therapeutic effects, thus supporting the discovery and development of optimal combination therapies prior to clinical trials.
BioMAP Combo ELECT lets developers test drug combinations in any BioMAP primary human cell assay and compare the resulting differential activity profiles of the drug combination to profiles of each single agent tested alone. The results facilitate the identification of drug combinations that may be additive, synergistic or antagonistic across an extensive panel of in vitro disease models utilizing early passage human primary cells covering a wide range of human biology.
BioSeek scientific director and general manager Ellen Berg said that drug combinations have emerged as a powerful way to provide more effective therapy by offering a strategy that overcomes potential resistance to a single agent or offers a multi-pronged approach to treating complex diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and infectious diseases.
"Until now, however, it has often been difficult and costly for drug and biologics developers to identify and develop efficacious combination treatments with manageable safety profiles or to select dosing regimens that optimize both safety and efficacy. BioMAP Combo ELECT offers for the first time, the capability of understanding the biological effects of putative drug combinations and concentrations in humans before entering clinical trials," Berg added.
Pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies can use that knowledge to greatly facilitate the development of drug treatments that improve patient outcomes while broadening markets for both new and already marketed therapeutics.
However, application of the Combo ELECT service extends well beyond simply the pre-clinical and development markets; by introducing a rapid, predictive, cost effective in vitro solution, discovery groups are afforded the ability to rescue ‘at risk’ compounds due to lack of efficacy or even conceive and develop combination focused programs from the outset.