MDS Analytical Technologies Scientist Receives 2008 SBS Prestigious PolyPops Foundation Award for CellKey™ System Development

MDS Analytical Technologies, a leader in innovative solutions for drug discovery and life sciences, today announced Dr. Simon Pitchford as one of the recipients of the 2008 Society for Biomolecular Sciences (SBS) PolyPops Foundation Award for his contribution to the development of MDS Analytical Technologies’ CellKey™ system.

The CellKey™ system is a revolutionary, functional, cell-based assay platform used for drug discovery research and was created to enable label-free, real-time analysis of cell surface receptor activity in a single assay format. Dr. Pitchford, Vice President and General Manager of the Drug Discovery business at MDS Analytical Technologies, received this award alongside other colleagues who contributed to the technology’s discovery and development before it was launched by MDS Sciex in 2005. The award is presented annually to members of the scientific community who have shown true innovation in the area of microplate development and design. This year’s award will be presented at the 14th Annual Society for Biomolecular Sciences Conference & Exhibition, April 6-10, 2007 at the America’s Center in St. Louis, Missouri.

The CellKey™ system’s underlying technology is Cellular Dielectric Spectroscopy (CDS)—an impedance-based system that measures cellular activity and eliminates the need for tags, dyes, or specialized reagents required by other systems. With the CellKey™ system, scientists can perform a range of experiments that provide unique, biorelevant data during a number of key stages in the drug discovery process—from target identification and validation through lead optimization. The CellKey™ system makes assay implementation simple and enables the comprehensive study of real time cell-based assays including ligand-mediated activation of endogenous receptors expressed in adherent or suspension cell lines and primary cells. By generating more physiologically relevant data, scientists are able to make faster, more informed decisions during the drug development process.

The Cellkey™ system is a fully integrated, easy-to-use solution comprised of the instrument with on-board temperature control and fluidics, and an extensive software suite to manage the information-rich, real-time kinetic data generated by the system. Learn more about the Cellkey™ system via the article webpage.