Lenexa, KS, August 19th, 2014 — XenoTech announces an exclusive partnership with HepatoChem to offer fast and cost-effective metabolite production from bioactive small molecules. Based on an innovative and proprietary chemistry platform, the technology enables convenient and timely assessment of critical metabolite and toxicity issues. According to XenoTech’s Vice President of Commercial Operations, Christian Darabant, “the value of rapid metabolite synthesis for assessing clinical risk can be measured directly by comparison with the approximate $2 million per day cost impact of each day of delay in a drug’s development.”
Metabolite synthesis is critical in the drug development process as it allows researchers to accurately evaluate metabolites in safety toxicity as well as promoting identification and isolation of pharmacologically active metabolites. According to Marc Bazin, HepatoChem’s CEO, “current technologies are designed to identify metabolites but are unable to produce testable quantities of metabolites. Consequently, metabolite studies are delayed (a calculated risk) in the drug delivery process; having access to milligram quantities of drug metabolite permits resolution of many of the fundamental questions surrounding small molecule metabolism. The biomimetic technology speeds up metabolite studies to allow rapid improvement of the metabolic properties of drug candidates.” XenoTech’s Executive Vice President & COO, Jason Neat, further explains, “Combining XenoTech’s ability to effectively elucidate metabolite formation through biological processes with the ability to efficiently produce milligram quantities of metabolites of interest for further evaluation is a benefit we must bring to our clients. By pairing XenoTech’s in vitro DMPK expertise with HepatoChem’s innovative platform, we are able to offer a tremendous and comprehensive solution to our customers for risk mitigation.”
The innovative technology uses biomimetic catalysts to mimic oxidative metabolism which synthesizes metabolites from the parent drug. The catalytic conditions are as selective as enzyme specificity achieved with microsomes or hepatocytes yet have the advantage of enabling metabolite production in milligram quantities. This unique system offers a highly competitive, higher-yield, cost-effective alternative to biological metabolite synthesis, facilitating knowledge early in the development process for informed program decision-making. Researchers around the world will benefit from this synergistic pairing of XenoTech’s distinguished expertise and holistic approach to drug metabolism research with HepatoChem’s unique, effective and efficient biomimetic oxidation platform. Biomimetic metabolite synthesis is now offered as both a service, with the work performed by the expert scientists at XenoTech and HepatoChem or for in-house work as a product, allowing customers the freedom to synthesize metabolites in their own laboratories via the BMO™ Kit.
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About XenoTech
XenoTech, LLC is a global Contract Research Organization with unparalleled experience and expertise in evaluating drug candidates, nutraceuticals, cosmetics, food additives and other compounds widely known as xenobiotics, substrates, inhibitors and inducers of cytochrome P450, UGT and other drug metabolizing enzymes and drug transporters. The company offers a variety of in vitro and in vivo safety assessment studies for drug candidate evaluation, as well as an extensive selection of products for drug metabolism research. XenoTech’s product selection includes a wide-range of high quality standard reagents, from subcellular fractions and hepatocytes to recombinant enzymes, substrates and metabolites. The company can also prepare and deliver custom-designed products and services in respnose to client requests. For additional information, please refer to the company’s website at www.xenotechllc.com or call (913) 438-7450.
About HepatoChem
HepatoChem, Inc. of Beverly, Massachusetts was founded in 2008, is a life science company that has developed its technology platform through a partnership with Princeton University. HepatoChem focuses on early stage development with a game-changing, proprietary chemistry platform that enables fast and cost-effective metabolite production from bioactive small molecules. The HepatoChem technology enables assessment of critical metabolite and toxicity issues early in the R&D continuum, reducing the risk of failure in clinical development of drug candidates. For more information, visit www.hepatochem.com
