Packard's Technology to Accelerate AstraZeneca's Drug Discovery Process

Strategic Insights -

Packard's BioScience Company and AstraZeneca have extended their partnership, with Packard's technology set to aid AstraZeneca in rapidly identifying promising compounds for drug discovery. The expanded contract, worth $5.5 million, will see Packard's BRET2(TM) technology used to screen AstraZeneca's combinatorial compound libraries against a defined selection of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). This process, known as "Focused Library Screening," involves testing a limited number of compounds against a panel of structurally diverse GPCR targets, with new sets of compounds designed and synthesized by AstraZeneca and tested by Packard. This iterative process enables AstraZeneca to identify important molecular determinants in compounds, refine their structure, and quickly develop selective drugs for defined targets.

Key Takeaways:

  • Packard's technology will enable AstraZeneca to rapidly identify promising compounds for drug discovery through the "Focused Library Screening" process.
  • The expanded contract, valued at $5.5 million, follows a previous three-year contract between the two companies, which ended last month.
  • AstraZeneca will use Packard's BRET2(TM) technology specifically for screening against a collection of their GPCRs.
  • The partnership has been productive for both companies, with AstraZeneca accelerating their drug discovery operations and Packard benefiting from the development of their BRET2(TM) technology.
  • BioSignal Packard develops and supplies products, services, and enabling technologies for drug discovery, including GPCR-based products, Gene2Screen(TM) custom assay development, and High Throughput Screening (HTS) services.
  • Packard's technology can be combined with instrumentation from their sister companies, such as the AlphaQuest(TM) and Fusion(TM) microplate analyzers and the PlateTrak(TM) microplate processor.
  • AstraZeneca is one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies, with a product portfolio spanning seven major therapeutic areas.
  • Packard BioScience Company is a leading global developer, manufacturer, and marketer of instruments and related consumables and services for the life sciences research industry.

Statistics:

  • The expanded contract is valued at $5.5 million.
  • The "Focused Library Screening" process involves testing a limited number of compounds against a panel of structurally diverse GPCR targets.
  • New sets of compounds are designed and synthesized by AstraZeneca and tested by Packard.
  • The iterative process enables AstraZeneca to identify important molecular determinants in compounds, refine their structure, and quickly develop selective drugs for defined targets.

Sources:

  • Packard BioScience Company (Nasdaq: PBSC)
  • AstraZeneca R&D Montreal
  • AstraZeneca Canada Inc.
  • Packard's press release (Oct. 23, PRNewswire)
  • AstraZeneca's website (http://www.astrazeneca.ca)