CRX.L Regulatory News (CRX)

Cyprotex PLC

("Cyprotex" or "the Company")

Strategic partnering deal signed with Cytocentrics

to offer a full package of in vitro ion channel services

Cyprotex PLC (AIM:CRX), a specialist ADME-Tox and Bioscience Contract Research Organisation, today announces the signing of a strategic partnering deal with world leading ion channel specialists, Cytocentrics, Inc, to extend Cyprotex's capabilities in the in vitro ion channel screening market. As part of the agreement, Cytocentrics will provide equipment, cell lines, expertise and training to allow Cyprotex to provide a panel of different ion channel assays from its Watertown site, near Boston in the USA.

A consortium in the USA known as CiPA (Comprehensive in Vitro Proarrythmia Assay) is currently evaluating a new paradigm for regulatory cardiac safety testing using in silico and in vitro methods. CiPA is co-sponsored by the Cardiac Safety Research Consortium (CSRC), the Health and Environmental Sciences Institute (HESI) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The in vitro methods currently being evaluated include single ion channels measurements, and integrated ion channel measurements in human stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes. Cyprotex is an active member of CiPA and plays a vital role in the development and validation of the human stem-cell derived cardiomyocyte assays using microelectrode array. This is an area in which Cyprotex has considerable expertise being the first company to launch this technology onto the market as a higher throughput platform via its eCiphr®Cardio service. The Cytocentrics agreement will complement existing technology already provided by Cyprotex by allowing Cyprotex to offer a panel of single ion channel measurements. This will enable Cyprotex to offer a fully comprehensive package of in vitro cardiac safety services which focus on key testing methods currently being addressed within the CiPA initiative.

The introduction of the new ion channel services will not only allow Cyprotex to offer cardiac safety testing but will also allow screening for potential biological effects on ion channels and so will extend Cyprotex's bioscience capabilities. The new facility, anticipated to be operational in H1 2016, is expected to contribute to the Company's performance from H2 2016 in line with current market expectations. The new services will utilise Cytocentrics CytoPatchTM4 instruments and stably transfected cell lines. The CytoPatchTM4 is an automated patch clamp system which uses a quartz glass pipette analogous to manual patch clamp and allows robust gigaseal recordings.

Anthony Baxter PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Cyprotex, comments on the agreement, 'Regulatory cardiac safety testing for new pharmaceuticals is expected to change in the near future with a greater focus on in vitro and in silico methods. Cyprotex is well placed to address this trend and will have the capability to offer a comprehensive package of in vitro cardiac services through its existing offerings and through our new partnership with Cytocentrics.'

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About Cyprotex PLC

Cyprotex is listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange (CRX). It has sites at Macclesfield and Alderley Park, both of which are near Manchester in the UK, and at Watertown, MA and Kalamazoo, MI in the US. The Company was established in 1999 and works with more than 1300 partners within the pharmaceutical and biotech industry, cosmetics and personal care industry and the chemical industry. Cyprotex acquired Apredica and the assets of Cellumen Inc. in August 2010 and the combined business provides support for a wide range of experimental and computational ADME-Tox and PK services. The acquisition of the assets and business of CeeTox in January 2014 has enabled Cyprotex to expand its range of services to target the personal care, cosmetics and chemical industries. In 2015, Cyprotex launched its new bioscience division to expand its capabilities into phenotypic and target based screening. The Company's core capabilities include high quality in vitro ADME services, mechanistic toxicology and high content toxicology screening services, including our proprietary CellCiphr® toxicity prediction technology, bioscience services, predictive modelling solutions including Cloe® PK, chemPK™ and chemTox, and a range of skin, ocular and endocrine disruption services. For more information, please visit www.cyprotex.com.

About Cytocentrics, Inc.

Cytocentrics is a leading provider of ion channel services and equipment. The Company's core capabilities include CiPA ion channel panel screening (GLP and non-GLP), ion channel screening with native and iPS human cardiac myocytes, action potential assays with native and iPS human cardiac myocytes, high-throughput contractile force assays using iPS cardiac myocytes, and production and sales of high quality "hands-free" patch clamp equipment. Cytocentrics is proud to have been contracted by the FDA to provide CiPA ion channel screening as well as the CytoPatchTM4 platform. In addition, through a strategic alliance with Axiogenesis, Cytocentrics has exclusive rights to the next generation of human matured iPS cells which look and behave like native adult cardiomyocytes. This development leap provides the opportunity to examine compound effects on electrophysiology using patch clamp and MEA platforms, and contractile force using our high throughput platform. For more information, please visit www.cytocentrics.com.