Thermo Fisher Scientific Launches Micronucleus BioApplication for High Content Screening at SBS 2008

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, today unveiled at SBS, the Thermo Scientific Cellomics Micronucleus v3.0 BioApplication — a new solution that uses a cell-based approach for a comprehensive assessment of genotoxicity. This new introduction not only strengthens the Thermo Fisher Scientific portfolio of leading-edge high content screening (HCS) products but more importantly allows the automatic detection of micronuclei formation, providing scientists with a more productive method for screening compounds earlier in the drug-discovery process.

The Micronucleus BioApplication relies on the industry-leading Thermo Scientific Cellomics ArrayScan® VTI system, which comprises high-content screening instrumentation, informatics and reagent products, allowing researchers to more rapidly test multiple compounds to discover potential toxic effects on genetic material. This application provides a more reproducible, method for compound screening at substantially lower labor costs than traditional manual approaches to micronuclei quantification.

Micronucleus formation is a strong indicator of genetic toxicity caused by drug-candidate compounds or environmental toxins. Existing in vitro assays for micronuclei induction are time-consuming, labor-intensive (requiring several trained personnel) and can be subjective. Because of these constraints, it has been virtually impossible to efficiently test large numbers of compounds for this important indicator of genotoxicity. With the launch of the new Cellomics Micronucleus v3.0 BioApplication, more cell lines can be tested with more industry standard assay configurations. This flexibility enables screening for indicators of genetic toxicity earlier in the development of therapeutic candidates and improves attrition rates, increasing efficiency and significantly reducing costs for pharmaceutical companies.

The Micronucleus BioApplication, along with a selection of Thermo Scientific HCS products, can be seen at the Thermo Scientific product booth (#1613), Society for Biomolecular Sciences (SBS) conference and exhibition, St Louis, 2008.