Absorption Systems LP, the authority on drug absorption, and ChanTest, the leading experts in ion channels, GPCRs (G-protein coupled receptors) and in vitro cardiac risk assessment, announced they will collaborate to expand Absorption Systems' suite of drug metabolism studies to provide data on the impact that a therapy may have on the heart. Absorption Systems' pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry customers that work with the company to secure in vitro drug metabolism data for FDA submissions can now request studies that use ChanTest's extensive library of cell lines for assessing a drug's impact on cardiac tissue. The ChanTest assays will be available through the Absorption Systems Safety Suite.

Absorption Systems works with pharmaceutical and biotech companies as they develop new drugs to help them quickly focus on molecules that the body will take up, use and eliminate in the desired way-that is, those that have favourable absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion (ADME) properties. The company's customers are also increasingly interested in studying interactions associated with taking drugs in combination, such as unwanted side effects, reduced effectiveness or the need for dose adjustment.

ChanTest offers the most complete library of validated human ion channel-expressing cell lines and GPCRs, key to drug discovery, development and safety. The company's set of in vitro and ex vivo services for cardiac risk assessment evaluate the interaction of drugs with the hERG and a multitude of other ion channels, as well as with other non-human heart tissues, to determine the potential of the drug to cause adverse effects on heart activity. Among these services are GLP assays that are required by global regulatory agencies prior to approval for initiation of human clinical trials..

"Our assays complement those of Absorption Systems very nicely," said Arthur M Brown, president and CEO of ChanTest. "We've both established leadership in our fields based on our extensive drug safety testing products and services. We think that Absorption Systems' customers will find it appealing to be able to evaluate cardiac safety at the same time as they conduct ADME studies."

Patrick M Dentinger, president and CEO of Absorption Systems, commented, "ChanTest's assays are widely recognized as the gold standard for ion channel studies. By offering them alongside the rest of our Safety Suite, Absorption Systems can offer pharma and biotech companies the most comprehensive, FDA-ready data on how a drug will affect the body."

The leading experts in ion channels and GPCRs (G-protein coupled receptors), ChanTest helps global pharmaceutical and biotech customers speed the drug discovery and development process, save time and money, and ultimately, help make better, safer drugs.

Founded in 1996 by Patrick M Dentinger and Ismael J Hidalgo, Absorption Systems LP is a preclinical contract research organization with approximately 75 employees focused on performing assays that predict the Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism and Elimination (ADME) of small molecules using a variety of in vitro, in situ and in vivo models.