Customized Toxicology Capabilities

Many of the toxicology services performed by Cyprotex are customized assays based on our customer’s specific requirements. We provide a flexible service where we can investigate different cell lines, endpoints and time points to address particular customer issues.

Our senior scientists work with our clients to bring together our expertise in toxicology and assay development with our customer’s project specific experience. Typically before embarking in a project we discuss the project in depth and agree on the best approach to take. As well as 2D cell culture we offer 3D cell culture models provide a system for long term dosing protocols.

The relevance of in vitro assays to clinical observations can be reliant on the relative exposure of the drug to tissues and organs. Incorporating exposure levels into the study design can build on toxicity predictions, we have found that incorporation of C_max data (either generated experimentally or through a PBPK modeling approach) can improve the in vitro – in vivo extrapolation. We are able to use this approach on custom projects to better understand the clinical relevance of the in vitro data.

High Content Screening Approach

Although we offer a range of different analytical techniques for assessing toxicology, High Content Screening (HCS) is becoming one of the most widely used technologies in the field of toxicology and drug discovery. HCS allows cellular processes to be tracked using fluorescent dyes or fluorescently labeled antibodies. It has the advantage that multiple endpoints can be monitored in the same cell. We have worked on a wide range of end points and cells types, examples of which are detailed below and we are constantly developing and validating new protocols.

Cell Cycle and Proliferation

Phospho-histone H3
BrdU
Ki67
Cell cycle arrest 2N/4N ratio

Cell Signalling and Cell Stress

MAPK (phospho-pERK)
JNK (phospho-cJun)
Oxidative stress (ROS)
Glutathione content
Steatosis
Phospholipidosis
Lysosomal trapping
Mitochondrial potential
Mitochondrial mass
Tubulin microtubule stability
GADD153

Cytotoxicity and Apoptosis

Cytochrome C
Cell membrane permeability
Caspase 3/7
Phospho-p53
Mitochondrial potential
Mitochondrial mass

Genotoxicity and DNA Damage and Repair

Phospho-p53
Phospho-H2AX
Tubulin microtubule stability
GADD153

Multiplexed assays

Micronucleus Test
Cytotoxicity Screening Assay (cell count, nuclear size, DNA structure, mitochondrial potential, mitochondrial mass, cytochrome c and cell membrane permeability) – option to be performed +/-S9 with HepG2 cells.
CellCiphr® profiling assays
Phospholipidosis and Steatosis- option to be performed +/-S9 with HepG2 cells.

Customised transcriptomics services

Transcriptomics services

Current cell lines available at Cyprotex for screening projects, plus many more

A2058: Human skin melanoma cell
BRL-3A: Buffalo rat liver cell
CHO-K1: Hamster Chinese ovary cell
DU-145: Human prostate cancer cell
H9c2: Rat heart myoblast
HaCaT: Human keratinocyte
Hep2: Human epithelial type 2 cell line
HepG2: Human hepatocellular carcinoma
HepaRG: derived from a human liver progenitor cell line
I-13.35: Mouse spleen macrophage
L929: Mouse adipose fibroblast
NHBE: Normal Human bronchial epithelial
PE/CA-PJ15: Human oral squamous cell carcinoma
U-87 MG: Human glioblastoma
Vero: Monkey African Green kidney
Primary or cryopreserved cells also available on request (e.g. human and rat hepatocytes)
3D cell culture formats also available (not amenable to all HCS endpoints)

Additional cell lines can be purchased on request or transferred to Cyprotex.

Custom HCS Cell Based Assays

New endpoints and multiplexed assays can be developed at Cyprotex on client demand. Also validated client in-house assays can be transferred to Cyprotex for regular screening. If suitable commercial antibodies or reagents are available for your gene of interest, a HCS assay to detect the cellular response can be developed.

Please contact us to find out more about our custom toxicology and assay development services.