Expansion of High Content Screening Capabilities at the National Center for Drug Screening in China

Expansion of High Content Screening Capabilities at the National Center for Drug Screening in China

Adoption of the First Live-cell Imaging System and the First-ever HCS Workshop in China

Shanghai, China and Pittsburgh, April 4, 2005 . . . The National Center for Drug Screening (NCDS) located in Shanghai, China and Cellomics, Inc. of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.A today announced an addition to their strategic collaboration aimed at expanding the application of High Content Screening (HCS) technologies in China. Affiliated with the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Center is a key national technology innovation base in drug discovery and development.

Cellomics, Inc., a privately held company, is recognized as the creator of and market leader in HCS, providing a unique cell-based platform to its global clients in pharmaceutical, biotechnology and academic institutions.

The expansion of this collaboration is facilitated by two key events. First, the NCDS has completed their HCS portfolio of research and discovery tools through the acquisition of the KineticScan® HCS Reader, Cellomics’ premier instrument for performing live-cell, kinetic HCS assays. The second part of this expansion includes the organization and sponsorship of a nationwide HCS Workshop to be held at the NCDS in Shanghai, between April 4 and 6, 2005. This event will bring together 60 researchers selected from more than 20 major cities, provinces and autonomous regions, who are looking to bring HCS capabilities into their drug discovery and systems biology research programs.

“The adoption of Cellomics’ live-cell imaging system, the KineticScan HCS Reader is vital to expanding our research programs in cell-based high content screening,” stated Dr. Ming-Wei Wang, Director of the NCDS. “By adding the capabilities of the KineticScan to those we already have with Cellomics’ ArrayScan® HCS Reader, we are able to quickly execute our strategic plan of utilizing HCS technologies in our drug discovery and development efforts,” continued Dr. Wang.

“We are very excited to work with the NCDS to organize the first-ever HCS workshop in China. Cellomics has been performing HCS Workshops and User Group Meetings in the US for many years, and we are happy to be able to share our expertise in this area with drug discovery and research scientists in China,” stated Dr. Judy Masucci, Director of Marketing at Cellomics. “We are pleased to be able to send three of our top HCS experts to support this event.”
“Our collaboration with Dr. Wang and the NCDS is critically important for Cellomics,” commented Daniel J. Calvo, President and CEO of Cellomics. “Through this joint effort with China’s leading drug discovery facility, we can expand our global leadership position in HCS into China and the surrounding region. We look forward to continuing to assist this world-class laboratory in incorporating our technologies into their research programs, as well as supporting the expansion of HCS across China,” continued Calvo.

About NCDS
The National Center for Drug Screening was jointly set up by the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Shanghai Municipality Government. It offers a wide-range of drug screening services and technical consultations to universities, research institutions and commercial entities across China. Using its advanced technology platforms and high quality services, and through external collaborations with biopharmaceutical research and development institutions, the NCDS is playing an indispensable role in the adequate utilization of compound resources nationwide and promotion of innovative drug development. Focusing on major diseases that affect the Chinese population (such as cancer, central nervous system diseases, metabolic disorders and infectious diseases, etc.), the NCDS is actively developing internationally advanced drug screening assays, performing large-scale co

Publisher Contact Information:

Cellomics, Inc.
412-770-2353
jmasucci@cellomics.com

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