Sigma-Aldrich to Roll Out Human Liver Cells

Sigma Life Science, the biological products and services business of Sigma-Aldrich Corporation (SIAL), is set to launch the genetically-modified HepaRG human liver cell line for hepatotoxicity and drug metabolism assays. This line has been licensed from BioPredic International.

Currently, the assays are undergoing beta tests by multiple contract research and pharmaceutical organizations. The assays are expected to be commercially launched in a plated, live-cell format in the market later in the first quarter of 2014 in order to support translational research in industry and academia. Sigma-Aldrich will also offer high-quality wild-type HepaRG liver cells.

Sigma-Aldrich will apply its CompoZr Zinc Finger Nuclease (ZFN) gene editing technology on the HepaRG human liver cells to generate novel, precision assays for early prediction of hepatic liabilities.

Sigma-Aldrich intends to apply the gene knock-out technique for critical xenobiotic sensors such as, PXR and CAR and drug transporters including BSEP, OATP1B1 and OATP1B3, that regulatory agencies have highlighted for possible analysis.

Sigma-Aldrich will also knock-in fluorescence reporter tags to endogenous toxicity biomarkers to generate inexpensive, high-throughput live cell imaging or reporter-based assays that can detect toxic drug effects and drug–drug interactions.

Currently, Sigma-Aldrich offers various gene-edited human cell lines for ADME/Tox assays, including Caco-2 human liver cell lines with efflux transporter gene knock-outs for clear analysis of potential drug–drug interactions.

Sigma-Aldrich's ADME/Tox Research and Development is looking forward to exploit gene-editing in human cell lines, so as to provide novel, isogenic assays that resolve fundamental shortfalls in current ADME/Tox procedures. This will help in resolving translational research hurdles, thus leading to safer drugs and more sustainable drug development programs.

Sigma-Aldrich currently holds a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).

Other companies in the specialty chemical industry worth considering are Sensient Technologies Corp. (SXT), Chemtura Corp. (CHMT) and Quaker Chemical Corp. (KWR). All of them carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).