Bionas GmbH, Germany, which focuses on in vitro profiling of the metabolic activity of cells, reports that Pedro Mestres, a professor at Saarland University, Germany, has won second prize in a business plan contest for a novel drug sensitivity-screening tool based on Bionas technology.
Mestres has developed a tissue slicing technology that produces microtumors that retain near-original tissue structure and cell activity. The microtumors are then analyzed with the company’s 2500 analyzing system for their metabolic activity upon drug treatment.
The analyzing system provides an overview of the physiological state of cells and tissues by analyzing metabolic and morphological parameters over a long period.
The professor plans to found a company for drug screening services in early 2008.
