New assays based on iPSC help accelerate drug discovery by giving drug innovators in neurodegenerative diseases high quality data on a broad range of disease-relevant read-outs

LEIDEN, Netherlands–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#ALSResearch–Ncardia, a leading human iPSC company, announced today the launch of a new panel of ready-to-use assays designed to streamline the screening and selection of new therapeutic candidates, with a specific focus on neurodegenerative diseases.

The new panel features standardized, highly robust, and reproducible assays for Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, ALS/FTD (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis/Frontotemporal Dementia), Neuroinflammation, and Neurotoxicity. Using human models and disease-relevant readouts, the assays ensure that the data obtained is highly translational, enhancing the potential for successful therapeutic outcomes in later stages of development.

“Our new panel of assays represents a major step forward in accelerating drug discovery,” said Jeroen de Groot, PhD, Divisional CEO at Ncardia. “By offering assays that are already standardized, we eliminate much of the preliminary work, giving researchers more time to focus on what matters most – progressing fast and confidently with their most promising candidates.”

The assays can be put to work in any stage of drug discovery – from target identification and validation to hit finding and lead optimization – and with any drug modality, including small molecule, gene therapy, RNA therapy and biologics.

“Our shared commitment here is to lead the integration of human iPSC technologies into the drug discovery process,” said Shushant Jain, PhD, Director of Discovery Technology. “And a critical part of that is to give our clients timely, relevant efficacy and toxicity data on their drug candidates. That’s why the new panels include readouts for gene and protein expression, protein aggregation, lysosomal function, neuronal health and function, and the release of neurofilament light chain (NF-L), which is an important biomarker for neurodegeneration.”

Due to the advanced development of the new assay panel, only minimal optimization steps are often required for Ncardia to configure custom assays to match a client’s exact needs.

While the launch of the new panel underscores Ncardia’s strength in drug discovery for neurodegenerative diseases, the company also offers solutions for other therapeutic areas, including cardiovascular disease, oncology, and respiratory conditions.

About Ncardia

Ncardia is a research and development human iPSC technology company with facilities and offices located throughout Europe and North America. Ncardia is built on the belief that stem cell technology will help bring better therapies to patients faster. The company’s goal is to enable biopharmaceutical companies to accelerate the discovery and development of new therapeutics in any drug modality, including drug, cell, and gene therapy, through the efficient integration of human iPSC technologies. For more information, visit www.ncardia.com.

Contacts

Tim Keefe

SVP, Business Development

marketing@ncardia.com