Technology
The initial launch of the MetaChip technology will focus on new drug development in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. The drug discovery process is an investment-intensive, high-risk endeavor that results in low yields of effective and safe drugs. Drug development’s low-yield, high-cost, high-risk characteristics result from inefficient and ineffective decision making due to sub-optimal information availability. The quality of decision-making in drug development is compromised by the technological limitations of currently available tools for the analysis of toxicity. Current analytical tools cannot be applied early in the development process alongside bioactivity assays and have inadequate predictive power to weed out compounds that are likely to fail in late or clinical development phases. Solidus’ technology is equally well-suited for weeding out toxic cosmetic candidates as it is toxic drug candidates.
To achieve the accurate and reliable decision-making ability necessary for greater efficiency in drug development, Solidus has invented the MetaChip (Metabolizing Enzyme Toxicology Assay Chip) and DataChip (Data Analysis Toxicology Assay Chip) technologies that meet, to the letter, the criteria specified below. Solidus’ technology enables high-throughput in vitro human toxicology studies to be performed at early stages of the drug development process. Based on the intersection of biocatalysis, materials science, and cell biology, the MetaChip/DataChip:
- Provide accurate information rapidly on the potential organ-specific toxicity of drug candidates
- Mimic human metabolism by generating human metabolites and analyze toxicity inherent in them
- Reveal P450 inhibition through IC50 and KI values
- Reinforce drug safety indications via analysis of metabolism rates (pharmacokinetics)
- Require small amounts of drug candidate for analysis.
In addition to the MetaChip and DataChip, Solidus is currently developing the MesaChip (Metabolizing Enzyme Stability Assay Chip), which can be used to rapidly analyze the metabolic stability of drug candidates.
Validation of MetaChip operation with a Hep3B DataChip for a series of drugs. The MetaChip consisted of (top to bottom regions) a mixture of P450 isoforms (CYP3A4, 2C9, and 1A2), individual CYP3A4, CYP2C9, CYP1A2, and no P450 for the drug-only response in 10-nL alginate gels. The DataChip was seeded with 90 cells per 30-nL alginate gel spots. The results shown represent dose-response curves for five out of nine drugs examined on the chip platform.