Absorption Systems Scientists Publish Peer-reviewed Paper on a Key Drug Transporter

EXTON, Pa., Sept. 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The preclinical contract research organization Absorption Systems, a global leader in pharmacokinetic testing of drugs and safety testing of medical devices, announces the publication of a peer-reviewed paper in the highly respected Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. The lead author was Jibin Li, Ph.D. In the paper, company scientists studied P-glycoprotein (P-gp), a transport protein that is known to be involved in drug-drug interactions, which can cause potentially dangerous side effects in some patients.

In one commonly used in vitro model, a cell line named MDR1-MDCK, human P-gp is genetically over-expressed in a dog kidney cell line, which already contained the canine version of the same transporter. In order to correct for the contribution of the canine P-gp, the amount of transport measured in the same cells without the human protein is routinely subtracted out. But Absorption Systems scientists found that this is an over-correction, because the canine transporter is expressed at a lower level in the cells that also express the human version. The result can be a false negative, meaning that a drug that really is transported by P-gp would be missed. In such cases, the drug might proceed further into development without anyone being aware of the risk of a potential drug-drug interaction.

This paper will improve the accuracy of data interpretation with this test system. As a result, potentially unsafe drugs will be weeded out sooner and the drugs that do make it into clinical trials will be safer. The paper was selected for inclusion in a special issue of the journal, dedicated in honor of Professor Leslie Z. Benet.

Ismael Hidalgo, Chief Scientist of Absorption Systems, commented that, "This work helps explain some historical results that have always been somewhat puzzling. It's rewarding to contribute to a better understanding of such a well-characterized test system at this point, more than 25 years after it was first created."

About Absorption Systems
Absorption Systems, founded in 1996, assists pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device companies in identifying and overcoming ADMET (Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion and Toxicity) barriers in the development of drugs, biologics and medical devices. The company's mission is to continually develop innovative research tools that can be used to accurately predict human outcomes or to explain unanticipated human outcomes when they occur. The CellPort Technologies^® platform, a suite of human cell-based test systems for drug transporter characterization, exemplifies Absorption Systems' commitment to innovation and is soon to be an industry standard for in vitro drug interaction assessment. Absorption Systems, with facilities near Philadelphia, PA, in San Diego, CA, and in Panama, serves customers throughout the world. For information on the company's comprehensive contract services and applied research programs, please visit www.absorption.com.  

Chris Bode
Absorption Systems
1-601-280-1451
[email protected]
www.absorption.com

SOURCE Absorption Systems

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