The biopharmaceutical company Cardion AG announced the signing of a non-exclusive license agreement with Pfizer Inc. Pfizer may use Cardion's cell-based Genomics Enabler technology to facilitate drug screening, target gene validation and predictive toxicology screening assays. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

The limited availability of certain fully-functioning cells (e.g. heart muscle cells) for use in high-throughput screening may hinder the discovery of innovative drugs in several therapeutic areas.

Use of the Genomics Enabler technology may overcome these difficulties and enable faster validation of small molecule drugs on genomic targets in relevant cellular models.

Dr. Manfred Ruediger, Cardion's Chief Scientific Officer, comments that "Genomics Enabler Technology may prove to be a key experimental technique for many cell-based drug screening and target gene validation applications. The technology allows to produce virtually pure populations of functional cell types -- like heart muscle cells -- which are otherwise not accessible. Genomics Enabler even allows to genetically customize the cells to best meet assay purposes adding further spins to its broad applicability".