Metrion Biosciences launches assay to strengthen screening portfolio and advance research on new medicines for pain

Metrion Biosciences, the specialist preclinical contract research organization (CRO) has launched its validated, high-throughput Na_V1.9 screening assay to advance discovery and development of novel pain therapeutics.

Leveraging over a decade of electrophysiology expertise, the Na_V1.9 assay, alongside Metrion’s unique combination of ion channel expertise, bespoke assays and pain research services, enables researchers to overcome traditional limitations of Na_V1.9 screening and generate reproducible and decision-ready data.

Na_V1.9 is a voltage-gated sodium channel selectively expressed in peripheral sensory neurones that plays a key role in pain signalling. Mutations in Na_V1.9 are associated with both severe pain and pain insensitivity in humans. Despite its potential as a non-opioid therapeutic target, research has been limited by difficulties developing stable heterologous expression systems.

Metrion’s new Na_V1.9 assay complements the company’s existing portfolio of efficacy and safety screening assays, adding new capabilities to accelerate and de-risk preclinical programmes, unlocking deeper insights into Na_V1.9 pharmacology. Designed using a stable and validated CHO cell line, the assay has been developed and optimised in-house for high reproducibility and low variability and is available using both human- and rat-derived clones, providing insights into species selectivity for the development of more efficacious therapeutics.

The assay completes the company’s full suite of pain-related sodium channel assays to provide selectivity profiling across Na_V1.1 to Na_V1.9. Metrion’s offering features a comprehensive portfolio of off-target counter screens, including other pain related ion channel targets and a CiPA panel for cardiac safety risk assessment.

The company also provides access to manual clamp-based mechanistic and translational assays, and automated patch clamp using the Qube 384 to provide highly sensitive, rapid analysis of large candidate libraries. Additional support for hit-to-lead and lead optimisation, streamlining compound evaluation and reducing project timelines is also provided.

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