Instrument company invests in metabolic profiling

Palo Alto, CA and Edmonton, AB – April 12, 2004 – Scientific instrument maker Varian says it has invested in Chenomx, a privately held, Edmonton-based company that works in the rapidly growing field of metabolic profiling. Its bioprofiling software can be used with data acquired from Varian’s 400 MHz to 800 MHz nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometers for metabonomic studies conducted by pharmaceutical companies.

The two companies entered into a distribution agreement last September, in which Varian markets the Eclipse software worldwide.

Metabolic profiling, or metabonomics, is the study of low molecular-weight chemicals, known as metabolites, found in a living organism. Metabolite levels can differ due to a variety of effects, such as drug ingestion, hence metabolic profiling is used to evaluate the efficacy or toxicity of drug candidates, helping researchers develop safer and more effective pharmaceuticals.

“NMR is an increasingly critical tool for pharmaceutical companies doing metabolic profiling as part of their drug discovery and development process,” says Janice Tschida, vice president and general manager, Varian NMR Systems. “The Chenomx software allows us to deliver a complete information-rich solution to a broad range of life sciences customers, especially those looking to enhance the speed and results of their safety and toxicity studies.”