Caliper receives final ToxCast batch from US EPA

08-Dec-2010 - Last updated on 08-Dec-2010 at 12:01 GMT

Caliper Life Sciences has begun toxicity testing on the final 350 compounds covered by the US Environmental protection Agency’s (EPA) ToxCast screening programme.

The EPA scheme is designed to accelerate the identification of toxic compounds, some of which are drug candidates in Phase I and II development, using predictive methods to assess the impact of expose to the chemicals.

Massachussetts, US-based Caliper has participated in ToxCast since 2007, comparing the results of analysis using its CDAS panels to data from in vivo models to assess likely toxicity of the compounds in question.

CEO Kevin Hrusovsky said his team is excited to receive the remaining 350 Phase IIb compounds from the EPA and predicted that it would have a considerable impact on Caliper’s financial performance.

"Receiving this most recent compound set will allow our scientists to complete Phase IIb compound screening over the next several months, and will likely push Caliper's revenue to the top end of our corporate revenue guidance range for the fourth quarter and full year."

ToxCast to cut backlog and animal testing

In a press statement the EPA explained that: “Many of the chemicals being tested in the ToxCast program are components of industrial and consumer products, as well as agrichemicals and pharmaceuticals, which were previously tested for in vivo toxicity using live animals.

“The EPA is tasked with testing thousands of compounds and chemicals each year, which has led to a significant backlog in the regulatory approval process. The goal of the ToxCast program is to reduce the EPA's dependence on expensive and lengthy animal testing and implement solutions that enable faster identification of harmful chemicals at a lower cost and with higher accuracy.”