Drug Discovery and Development

  • Home Drug Discovery and Development
  • Drug Discovery
  • Women in Pharma and Biotech
  • Oncology
  • Neurological Disease
  • Infectious Disease
  • Resources
    • Video features
    • Podcast
    • Webinars
  • Pharma 50
    • 2025 Pharma 50
    • 2024 Pharma 50
    • 2023 Pharma 50
    • 2022 Pharma 50
    • 2021 Pharma 50
  • Advertise
  • SUBSCRIBE

Absorption Systems Licenses Cell Line to Pfizer

By Absorption Systems | January 4, 2017

(Credit: AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

Absorption Systems, a provider of novel test systems for drug transporters, announced a technology licensing agreement with Pfizer Inc. The core technology is a human cell line engineered to express an individual drug transport protein, designed to test for potential safety issues early in the drug development process. The cell line is stably transfected with the human SLCO1B1 gene, which codes for a protein known as organic anion transporting polypeptide (OATP) 1B1. 

Drug transporters, such as OATP1B1, have received attention from drug regulatory bodies such as the U.S.  Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) because of their importance in drug absorption, efficacy, elimination, and safety. Only in recent years have scientists come to appreciate the importance of transporters and their genetic variants in different individuals.

Test systems such as the OATP1B1-transfected cells have led to a better understanding of the roles that drug transporters play in overall drug disposition, and make it possible to predict potentially dangerous drug-drug interactions long before a new drug is administered to people.

This human OATP1B1 assay system will enable Pfizer to test potential new drug candidates for interactions with OATP1B1, which plays a central role in the effectiveness, safety, and drug-drug interactions of many drugs, including the widely used statins.

Drug candidates that are substrates or inhibitors of OATP1B1 may look promising in early-stage testing but have safety issues once they get into clinical trials or post-approval, which is why the FDA and EMA now require lab-based testing for such interactions. The Absorption Systems cell line expresses OATP1B1 at a high level and allows users to predict human outcomes during preclinical testing.

Absorption Systems is known for its quality control programs and tracking of cell line performance over time by using its proprietary CellPort Analytics software.

(Source: PR Newswire)


Filed Under: Drug Discovery

 

Related Articles Read More >

Lokavant’s Spectrum v15 uses AI to cut trial-feasibility modeling from weeks to minutes
Prime time for peptide-based drug discovery 
Why smaller, simpler molecular glues are gaining attention in drug discovery
Glass vial, pipette and woman scientist in laboratory for medical study, research or experiment. Test tube, dropper and professional female person with chemical liquid for pharmaceutical innovation
Unlocking ‘bench-to-bedside’ discoveries requires better data sharing and collaboration
“ddd
EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND STAY CONNECTED
Get the latest news and trends happening now in the drug discovery and development industry.

MEDTECH 100 INDEX

Medtech 100 logo
Market Summary > Current Price
The MedTech 100 is a financial index calculated using the BIG100 companies covered in Medical Design and Outsourcing.
Drug Discovery and Development
  • MassDevice
  • DeviceTalks
  • Medtech100 Index
  • Medical Design Sourcing
  • Medical Design & Outsourcing
  • Medical Tubing + Extrusion
  • Subscribe to our E-Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • R&D World
  • Drug Delivery Business News
  • Pharmaceutical Processing World

Copyright © 2025 WTWH Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media
Privacy Policy | Advertising | About Us

Search Drug Discovery & Development

  • Home Drug Discovery and Development
  • Drug Discovery
  • Women in Pharma and Biotech
  • Oncology
  • Neurological Disease
  • Infectious Disease
  • Resources
    • Video features
    • Podcast
    • Webinars
  • Pharma 50
    • 2025 Pharma 50
    • 2024 Pharma 50
    • 2023 Pharma 50
    • 2022 Pharma 50
    • 2021 Pharma 50
  • Advertise
  • SUBSCRIBE