Applied Bio’s TaqMan Gene Expression Arrays will be used, and Asuragen will handle data analysis.

Applied Biosystems, Asuragen, and Critical Path Institute’s (C-Path) Predictive Safety Testing Consortium are partnering to develop a gene-signature panel that will better enable drug candidate screening for toxic effects in preclinical samples.


The collaborators will develop a panel of assays with gene targets that are associated with carcinogenicity in lab rats. They will also use the Applied Biosystems assays to determine and differentiate effects that are genotoxic from nongenotoxic modes of action to assist in risk assessment. The new biomarker panel will be based on Applied Biosystems’ TaqMan® Gene Signature Array and real-time PCR technology. Asuragen will contribute laboratory services, pharmacogenomic expertise, and bioinformatics capabilities.


“The development of robust turnkey assays to speed development of therapeutics for patients is one of the fundamental goals of the Critical Path Initiative, for which we believe we can make a difference working with partners such as Applied Biosystems and Asuragen,” says William B. Mattes, Ph.D., director of C-Path’s Predictive Safety Testing Consortium. “We expect this collaboration will facilitate broader utility of genomic biomarkers of toxicity across the industry in order to enable the early prediction and mechanistic understanding of potential carcinogens in preclinical research.”

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