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Daiichi-Sankyo to Install Corning<sup>®</sup> Epic<sup>®</sup> System

Corning Life Sciences
10 Oct 2007

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Corning Incorporated today announced that Daiichi-Sankyo Co. Ltd. purchased the Corning® Epic® System for installation and integration into drug discovery operations at its Kasai Research & Development Center in Tokyo. Daiichi-Sankyo is a global pharmaceutical innovator and Japan’s second largest drug maker. This purchase marks the entry of Corning’s microplate-based, label-free drug screening platform into the Japanese pharmaceutical market, following successful commercial launches in both North America and Europe.

"Because it is based on Corning's strong heritage in photonics, materials science, and life sciences, we are convinced that the Epic System will significantly contribute to our drug screening efforts and enable Daiichi-Sankyo to achieve great success," said Dr. Hiroshi Yokota, general manager, Exploratory Research Laboratories I, Daiichi-Sankyo Co. Ltd.

"Given Daiichi-Sankyo's recognized leadership in the pharmaceutical industry, we are very pleased with their decision to integrate the Corning Epic System into their drug discovery operations," said Tom Lynch, business director, Corning Epic System. "Corning has established a team of local Epic field application and service personnel to provide a strong foundation of support for the growing customer base in Japan."

The Epic System is a high-throughput, label-free screening platform based on optical biosensor technology. The system performs both biochemical and cell-based drug discovery applications and offers drug developers the ability to evaluate promising new drug targets. It also enables the observation of direct biological interactions not previously detectable in high-throughput applications.

The system uses optical technology to eliminate the need for labels and consists of two components: a disposable 384-well microplate with integrated biosensors and a high-throughput screening (HTS) compatible microplate reader that permits screening of up to 40,000 wells in an eight-hour period. Because it makes use of an industry standard microplate format, the Epic System can be easily integrated with existing facilities and instrumentation.

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BiosensorsBiosensors are devices used to detect an analyte using biological molecules specific to the analyte coupled to a detector. Biosensor instruments may be photometric, typically using surface plasma resonance (SPR), electrochemical or QCM (quartz crystal microbalance) biosensors. Biosensors should be selective, portable, robust and sensitive and have a fast response time. Systems may be manual or automated and usually have associated software.MicroplatesMicroplates are multi-well plates used to increase the throughput of biological investigations. The number of wells microplates contain can range from 6 to 3243 wells, with the 96-well format being the most commonly used. Microplates can come tailored for a range of applications including cell culture, PCR, filtration, storage, non-binding surface, protein crystallization, as well as pre-coated, deep well and normal Standard microplates. Additionally, options for microplate colors include clear , black, white or black with clear bottom and white with clear bottom for absorbance microplate reader applications. Find the best microplates for your lab in our peer-reviewed product directory: compare products, check customer reviews and receive pricing direct from manufacturers.High-Throughput ScreeningHigh-throughput screening (HTS) is an automated drug discovery technique for identification of active compounds against a compound library. Use HTS readers and integrated assay preparation / analysis workstations to screen your compounds. Identify active compounds against various HTS libraries, including membranes, proteins and peptides and HTS cell lines. Find the best high-throughput screening products in our peer-reviewed product directory: compare products, check customer reviews and receive pricing direct from manufacturers.Microplate Readers / DetectorsMicroplate readers are used to automate the detection and analysis of labeled or label-free components in microplates during assays or live-cell monitoring. Microplate readers are generally distinguished by their mode of detection. Types include absorbance, luminescence, fluorescence intensity, fluorescence polarization, TRF / FRET and multimode microplate readers. Microplate readers deliver a high throughput of samples by reading multiple wells simultaneously, with the 96-well format the most commonly used. As a result, microplate readers are often used in the drug discovery, bioassays, research and pharmaceutical industries for screening applications. Microplate loading can also be automated, with robotic microplate stackers to increase throughput. Find the best microplate readers in our peer-reviewed product directory: compare products, check customer reviews and receive pricing direct from manufacturers.Cell-Based AssaysCell-based assays are used to monitor the presence, quantity and activities of a desired cellular analyte including drug molecules or biomarkers. This can reveal information on cell health (apoptosis, cytotoxicity, viability and proliferation assays), cell metabolism, cell migration and cell signaling mechanisms. Find the best cell-based assay products, kits and equipment with our peer reviewed product directory: compare products, check customer reviews and receiving pricing direct from manufacturers.

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