Published on August 20, 2009 at 8:55 AM
Fluxion Biosciences, a leading developer of microfluidic systems for functional cell analysis, today announced that it has received a $1.8 million NIH grant for the development of a high-throughput screening platform for anti-microbial drug discovery. The Phase II grant will enable the company to further develop its innovative microfluidic platform for cellular research and drug discovery.
The Phase II project will build on the successful proof-of-concept results from the Phase I grant, which identified a high-throughput screening approach for anti-microbial drugs. Antibiotics such as penicillin, tetracycline, and amoxicillin have been around for decades. Over time, certain microbes have developed resistance to these treatments. Drug-resistant infections cause 14,000 deaths in America each year and add over $4 billion in cost to the healthcare system. The latest grant focuses on the integration of the drug screening approach developed during the Phase I research into a fully automated platform. The system, based on high-throughput functional screening on live bacteria or cells, is expected to have additional application in the development of drugs for treatment of cardiovascular and immune disorders.
"We are pleased to receive this Phase II NIH grant for the continued development of this exciting screening platform," said Cristian Ionescu-Zanetti, Ph.D., chief technology officer. "The results of our Phase I project showed significant gains over conventional drug screening approaches. This platform promises to be a powerful tool for developing the next generation of drug therapies."
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