Genetix - Technologies for Biotherapeutic Discovery

Genetix’s technologies drive cell identification and selection in laboratories worldwide, from biopharmaceuticals to clinical diagnostics. The acquisition of Applied Imaging’s Ariol and CytoVision systems enhances Genetix’s portfolio of cell biology platforms like ClonePix FL, bringing new efficiencies to biotherapeutic discovery.

STUDY OF THE GENETIC NATURE OF TUMOURS

Ariol pathology instrumentation and CytoVision software enable study of the genetic nature of tumours at the protein biomarker level. Disease tissue used in target discovery and validation laboratories can be probed, with different antibodies determining which biomarkers are associated with a particular class of tumour.

Performed at high throughput, the data is stored and classified automatically. Identification of biomarkers offers the possibility that they may be potential targets, allowing the development of a therapeutic, using an antibody-generating system like phage display or a library of cell fusions.

Genetix QP Display for phage screening, or ClonePix FL for cell selection and isolation, automates the screening process for candidate protein therapeutics.

CELL SCREENING

ClonePix FL rapidly screens large numbers of cells with multiple antigens, isolating the highest value clones, thereby increasing the chances of finding cells producing superior molecules. ClonePix FL eliminates laborious limiting dilution and adds a qualitative aspect manual methods cannot.

Significantly shortening timescales to days by screening a thousand colonies an hour, three days after fusion, ClonePix FL simplifies cell culture, turning large-scale screening into a bench-top process and delivering a powerful return on investment.

AUTOMATED COLONY SELECTION PROCESS

One important selection criteria for production cell lines is that a large number of transfectants must be screened for their production capacity and selected cell lines must be stable. ClonePix FL automates the crucial colony selection process, isolating mammalian clones based upon protein expression and speed of cell growth, delivering high yielding, stable and robust cells suitable for scale-up to biopharmaceutical manufacturing.

Production cells like CHO or NS0 are plated in semi-solid medium (CloneMatrix) such that secreted protein accumulates around the colonies and is measured using an in-situ fluorescent tag.

ClonePix FL typically screens over 10,000 colonies and selects the top 2%, which are replated for two to three days. The stable clones are selected as candidates for production of therapeutic products. Limiting dilution methods screen ten times less clones, taking three times longer.

FINDING AND ANALYSING KAROTYPES

For biopharmaceuticals it is of paramount importance to quality to control the cells entering production. CytoVision automatically finds and analyses karyotypes for genetic integrity, reducing the time taken and providing electronic records.

IMMUNOHISTOCHEMISTRY

Obtaining the maximum information about a compound’s therapeutic potential before entering clinical trials requires the measurement of parameters such as survival, disease progression and biomarker analysis.

Ariol combines immunohistochemistry, measuring protein levels in tissues with cytogenetics to measure the gene copy number. Change in particular biomarkers can then be used to monitor therapeutic responses and predict the effectiveness of particular treatment.