Swedish Start-up Offers Label-free Drug Screening Services to European Drug Discovery Researchers
CORNING, N.Y., Oct. 16 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Corning Incorporated (NYSE: GLW) today announced that Actar AB, a part of the Karolinska Institutet innovations system, confirmed their ability to provide label-free drug screening services via the Corning(R) Epic(R) System. Actar is the first and only company to provide high-throughput label-free drug screening to academic researchers in Scandanavia and Europe on a fee-for-service basis.
"The Corning Epic System makes us an even more powerful partner with academic institutions in developing drugs out of academic discoveries," said Claes Post, chairman of the Actar AB Board. "We are pleased to be the first and only company to provide top European academic researchers with access to this remarkable technology."
"Actar's decision to purchase the Corning Epic System highlights the significant potential of label-free technology in drug discovery," said Ron Verkleeren, business director, Corning Epic System. "We applaud Actar for developing a business model that will provide academic researchers across Scandinavia and Europe with access to this innovative new screening technology."
The Corning Epic System is the world's first high-throughput, label-free screening system. It uses patented optical biosensors technology to measure a broad range of biological responses that are undetectable with conventional methods.
Actar is hosting an event focused on label-free technology on October 15, 2008. For more information, please contact Dr. Claes Post or visit http://www.actar.se .
For additional information on the Epic System or any other Corning Life Sciences products, please contact a customer service representative at 1-800-492-1110, toll free in the United States, (+1) 978-635-2200 internationally, or visit http://www.corning.com/epic .
About Actar AB
Actar AB ( http://www.actar.se ) is part of the Karolinska Institutet innovations system. The facilities are located to Karolinska Institutet Science Park and Uppsala University Biomedical Centre. Actar develops innovative therapeutics by partnering with top academic researchers to explore novel drug targets. The aim is to discover proprietary compounds with validated effect in relevant disease models. Actar brings its expertise in drug discovery and project management together with therapeutic area competency of the partnered academic researchers. Drug-like compounds active against these targets are identified, characterized and divested, or further developed in collaboration with larger pharmaceutical companies.
About Corning Incorporated
Corning Incorporated ( http://www.corning.com ) is the world leader in specialty glass and ceramics. Drawing on more than 150 years of materials science and process engineering knowledge, Corning creates and makes keystone components that enable high-technology systems for consumer electronics, mobile emissions control, telecommunications and life sciences. Our products include glass substrates for LCD televisions, computer monitors and laptops; ceramic substrates and filters for mobile emission control systems; optical fiber, cable, hardware & equipment for telecommunications networks; optical biosensors for drug discovery; and other advanced optics and specialty glass solutions for a number of industries including semiconductor, aerospace, defense, astronomy and metrology.
