CRO Provides Drug Discovery Assays to Medicines Catapult  

A UK-based human tissue research company has announced a strategic partnership with Medicines Discovery Catapult. REPROCELL Europe Ltd, which has joined the Catapult’s Virtual R&D platform, aims to overcome the logistical and ethical challenges surrounding the use of human tissue in pre-clinical drug development by providing contract laboratory services in predictive human fresh tissue assays. As a GLP-accredited CRO, it can use these human ex-vivo pharmacology models as a way to bridge the gap between in-vivo data and clinical trials. The predictive human data generated helps de-risk projects and add commercial value through early indications of drug safety, efficacy and absorption characteristics, informing early proof-of-concept.

Accredited as a Research Tissue Bank, the company has established an extensive network of tissue collaborators, in both the UK and USA.

Dr David Bunton, CEO, REPROCELL Europe, said: “We are excited to be working closely with the Medicines Discovery Catapult and to be part of a select group of companies developing innovative approaches to drug discovery. We hope that our combined services will accelerate drug development to the benefit of many UK biotechs.”

Dr Karen Bingham, COO, added: “Ethically-sourced human tissue samples are such an important resource for the prediction of efficacy and safety of novel drug compounds and are becoming increasingly important in the area of precision medicine. It's crucial that the NHS, industry and academia work together through collaborations such as Medicines Discovery Catapult in order to maximise use of this precious resource.”