Debiopharm and Cenix Partner on Preclinical Services

Debiopharm says Cenix’ RNAi screening technology was the key reason in selecting the CRO for its drug development services.

Preclinical contract research firm Cenix BioScience has signed a research agreement with Swiss-based biopharma company Debiopharm to support ongoing efforts to develop novel therapeutic drug candidates by identifying predictive biomarkers.

“Cenix offers a unique cell high throughput RNAi screening technology, as a CRO” said Debiopharm spokesperson Béatrice Hirt to Outsourcing-Pharma.com.

Using the Definiens XD image analysis platform, Cenix will establish multi-parametric microscopy-based readouts in a range of human cancer cell models to identify genes and pathways that either enhance or suppress the drug’s therapeutic effects.

In a press release, Cenix’s CEO/CSO Dr. Christophe Echeverri said: “We are very excited to launch this new relationship with Debiopharm, extending their repertoire with what we consider to be some of the most strategically powerful cell-based screening paradigms developed to date.”

When asked, Debiopharm declined to give financial details of the collaboration.