Molecular Devices (NASDAQ:MDCC)
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Molecular Devices Introduces IonWorks(R) Quattro(TM) System for
Accelerated Ion Channel Screening
SUNNYVALE, Calif., Feb. 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Molecular Devices
Corporation (NASDAQ:MDCC), today announced the introduction of IonWorks
Quattro, a second-generation ion channel screening instrument with four times
the throughput capability over its predecessor, the IonWorks HT. The IonWorks
Quattro system was developed using Molecular Devices' Population Patch
Clamp(TM) technology, a revolutionary new approach in the planar patch clamp
technique. The system will debut at the Biophysical Society Annual Meeting,
February 12-16 in Long Beach, California at Molecular Devices' Booth #302.
The IonWorks Quattro system employs a new PatchPlate(TM) Population Patch Clamp
(PPC) substrate, a 384-well planar array that is designed to allow ion channel
recordings to be simultaneously collected from multiple cells within each well.
The IonWorks Quattro system has shown success rates of 95% or more, which are
so high that it is not necessary to apply test compounds redundantly to four
wells, thus enabling an immediate four-fold throughput improvement and up to
50% reduction in cost per data point over the IonWorks HT system-the highest
throughput electrophysiological screening system available until now.
"The PPC technology utilized by the IonWorks Quattro system extends the
multi-cell robustness inherent in Molecular Devices' existing fluorescence
screening instruments, such as FLIPR(R), to electrophysiology," stated Alan
Finkel, Chief Technology Officer at Molecular Devices. "All previous
electrophysiological recording systems are limited by the success rate that is
achievable with a single cell in a well, which is unlikely to exceed 70%
consistently, even under the best of circumstances. The PPC technique is
designed to remove the dependence on the expression levels or viability of
individual cells, thereby enabling each well to measure the response to a
population of cells."
"The increased throughput and reduced cost-per-data-point of this system makes
it both feasible and affordable to conduct primary screening campaigns of
directed library sets," stated Dr. Shawn Handran, IonWorks Quattro Product
Marketing Manager at Molecular Devices. "In addition, the IonWorks Quattro is
fully compatible with IonWorks HT technology, supporting both the original
PatchPlate and new PatchPlate PPC substrates."
Ion channels are an important therapeutic target class for diseases of the
cardiovascular and central nervous systems. The Company believes that IonWorks
Quattro is ideal for many of these applications, from primary screening of
directed compound libraries, to hit confirmation, selectivity testing and lead
optimization. Ion channels are also important in early safety testing. The
IonWorks Quattro system is designed to be used for early screening of lead
candidates for unintentional activity on ion channels, such as the cardiac
potassium channel, human ether-a-go-go-related gene (hERG).
At the Biophysical Society Annual Meeting, Dr. Finkel will give a technical
presentation on the IonWorks Quattro system and Population Patch Clamp
technology in a special exhibitor's presentation session on February 13th at
1:30 p.m., Long Beach Convention Center, Room 204.
Molecular Devices Corporation is a leading supplier of high-performance
bioanalytical measurement systems that accelerate and improve drug discovery
and other life sciences research. The Company's systems and consumables enable
pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to leverage advances in genomics,
proteomics and parallel chemistry to facilitate the high-throughput and
cost-effective identification and evaluation of drug candidates. The Company's
solutions are based on its advanced core technologies that integrate its
expertise in engineering, molecular and cell biology and chemistry. Molecular
Devices enables its customers to improve research productivity and
effectiveness, which ultimately accelerates the complex process of discovering
and developing new drugs.
This press release contains "forward-looking" statements, including statements
related to the prospects for or potential customer use of the IonWorks Quattro
system. Any statements contained in this press release that are not statements
of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Words such
as "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "will," and similar
expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. There are a
number of important factors that could cause the results of Molecular Devices
Corporation to differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking
statements, including, among others, risks related to the development of new
products and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's SEC
reports, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December
31, 2003, as amended, and its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter
ended September 30, 2004. Molecular Devices Corporation does not undertake any
obligation to update forward-looking statements.
DATASOURCE: Molecular Devices Corporation
CONTACT: Tim Harkness of Molecular Devices Corporation, +1-408-747-3533
Web site: http://www.moleculardevices.com/