High-content screening capabilities at China’s NCDS expanded: Adoption of China’s first live-cell imaging system and HCS

SHANGHAI—The National Center for Drug Screening (NCDS) here and Cellomics Inc. of Pittsburgh have added to their strategic collaboration aimed at expanding the application of High Content Screening (HCS) technologies in China. Affiliated with the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Center is a key national technology innovation base in drug discovery and development.

Cellomics Inc., a privately held company, is recognized as the creator of and a market leader in HCS, providing a unique cell-based platform to its global clients in pharmaceutical, biotechnology and academic institutions.

The expanded collaboration is facilitated by two events. First, the NCDS has completed its HCS portfolio of research and discovery tools through the acquisition of the KineticScan HCS Reader, Cellomics' premier instrument for performing live-cell, kinetic HCS assays. The second part of this expansion included the organization and sponsorship of a nationwide HCS Workshop that was held in April at the NCDS in Shanghai. The event brought together 60 researchers from more than 20 major cities, provinces and autonomous regions, who were looking to bring HCS capabilities into their drug discovery and systems biology research programs.

"The adoption of Cellomics' live-cell imaging system, the KineticScan HCS Reader is vital to expanding our research programs in cell-based high content screening," stated Dr. Ming-Wei Wang, director of the NCDS. "By adding the capabilities of the KineticScan to those we already have with Cellomics' ArrayScan HCS Reader, we are able to quickly execute our strategic plan of utilizing HCS technologies in our drug discovery and development efforts," continued Dr. Wang.

"Our collaboration with Dr. Wang and the NCDS is critically important for Cellomics," commented Daniel Calvo, president and chief executive officer of Cellomics. "Through this joint effort with China's leading drug discovery facility, we can expand our global leadership position in HCS into China and the surrounding region.