Tuesday, 11. September 2007

Bayer Technology Services to model the transport of drugs in the liver

Consortium receives funding from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research

Over the next few years, Bayer Technology Services GmbH (BTS) will be modeling the active transport of drugs in the liver as part of “QuantPro”, an initiative of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The project is funded for three years and aims to provide significant improvements in predicting the effects of drugs. It also seeks to develop concepts and instruments which will contribute to the personalization of drug therapies. “QuantPro – Quantitative analysis for the description of dynamic processes in living systems” is a development project funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, and forms part of its biotechnology framework program. BTS is working on this project in association with IonGate Biosciences GmbH, Cell Culture Service GmbH, and the University Medical Centre Schleswig-Holstein at the University of Kiel. “As part of the QuantPro initiative, we have established a top-class consortium. Together, we are investigating one of the areas critical to the success or failure of drug therapies. Our work aims to improve the quality of the predictions which influence both development decisions at the pharmaceutical research stage, and the choice of treatment made by clinicians,” commented Jörg Lippert, Head of Systems Biology at BTS.

Transport processes within the liver are a vital step in the process of taking-up, metabolizing and excreting drugs in the human body. They have a direct influence on the availability and effect of a drug and are therefore of key importance when developing new drugs. However, many of the main factors that influence transport within the liver are still unknown, or can only be quantified with difficulty. The central focus of this research initiative is therefore to establish new assays that will enable quantitative characterization of active transport processes within the liver, and the further development of systems biology computer models for the pharmacokinetics of active ingredients.

This project will use software tools developed by BTS – PK-Sim^® for physiology based pharmacokinetics (PBPK) simulation, and MoBI^® for the simulation of pharmacodynamics (PD) on a molecular level. Particular attention will be paid to inter-individual differences which cause genetic variations in the liver’s transporter genes. The consortium will utilize the experience gained in Kiel with the Popgen gene database, and BTS’s knowledge of its PK-Sim^® PK-Pop module, which can already simulate the physiological variability of key population groups.

Bayer Technology Services GmbH offers fully-integrated solutions along the life cycle of chemical/pharmaceutical plants – from development through engineering and construction to process optimization for existing plants. The Bayer subsidiary employs nearly 2,300 experts worldwide at its headquarters in Leverkusen and other German locations, as well as in regional offices in Baytown, Texas, USA; Antwerp, Belgium; Mexico City, Mexico; and Shanghai, People's Republic of China. 2006 sales totaled approx. EUR 380 million. Alongside its fully integrated solutions for every stage in the life of pharmaceutical and chemical plants – from development, project planning and construction, to process optimization – Bayer Technology Services offers a broad range of products and services for all stages of diagnostics, and drug research and development. Examples include nanophosphors, the pharmacokinetics simulation software PK-Sim^®, and data-mining and modeling technologies.

Forward-looking statements

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