AB Sciex and Melbourne University in joint project
The aim is to help advance protein-based drugs through regulatory processes
AB Sciex, a global leader in life science analytical technologies, is working with the University of Melbourne on a joint development project to improve drug metabolism studies of biopharmaceuticals.
The study aims to develop a standardised testing methodology based on AB Sciex’s QTRAP 5500 System as a way of following the breakdown of protein-based drugs in vivo.
AB Sciex says this could help drug discovery scientists better determine the effectiveness and safety of peptide and protein therapeutic agents through regulatory processes.
The team is also customising the approach for the AB Sciex TripleTOF 5600 System, which is said to be the life science industry’s fastest and most sensitive high-resolution mass spectrometer for qualitative and quantitative analysis. As part of the project, a new workflow and specialist software are being developed to manage it centrally, giving drug discovery scientists more control.
Anthony Purcell, associate professor, at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Melbourne, said: ‘The technology we are developing with AB Sciex will give scientists the unique ability to produce metabolism profiles for peptide and protein drugs that the industry simply cannot do right now. This is essential for advancing an increasing number of biopharma drugs to market.’