DiscoveRx Corporation announced the acquisition of KINOMEscan kinase screening services division from San Diego-based Ambit Biosciences. The addition of this new business unit will further strengthen DiscoveRx's position as the market leader of novel, proprietary and validated GPCR and kinase assays for high-throughput screening and profiling and will enable customers to improve research productivity and effectiveness, thus accelerating the discovery and development of new drugs. By combining solutions the new DiscoveRx offers the largest collection of assays comprising of over 400 functional cell-based GPCR and kinase assays as well as an industry leading panel of 442 kinase assays, thereby creating centres of excellence for both GPCRs and kinases.

"The acquisition of KINOMEscan represents our commitment to build a company and a brand that positions us as the leading solution provider across the drug discovery continuum. We are a leader in next generation GPCR and kinase technology with our award winning PathHunter and HitHunter brands. With the majority of pharmaceutical drug discovery programs centered around the GPCR and kinase target classes, the addition of the KINOMEscan platform, a proven technology for high-throughput kinase screening and profiling complements our PathHunter and HitHunter cell-based kinase and GPCR assay platforms. We are also excited about San Diego emerging as a center of excellence for kinase-based discovery technologies and services. Our new geography strengthens our ability to leverage the outstanding resources that exist at all of our locations," said Pyare Khanna, Ph.D., chief executive officer & president of DiscoveRx Corporation.

Founded in 2000, DiscoveRx is a privately held, venture-backed company headquartered in Fremont, California, with an additional office in Birmingham, England. The company pioneered the use of ß-galactosidase enzyme fragment complementation in biochemical and cell based assays for discovery research, and holds extensive intellectual property in this area.