NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Cenix BioScience said today it will work with the drug developer AstraZeneca in a tailored RNAi research collaboration aimed at advancing oncology drug targets.
Under the agreement, Cenix will combine its RNAi-based gene silencing technology with phenotypic analyses in cultured human cells. The research program will initially involve a high-throughput RNAi screen using an assay that the companies will design together to find and validate novel targets for cancer treatments.
Cenix said it would implement multi-parametric microscopy-based assays using Definiens’ Cellenger image analysis platform to provide datasets of cellular functions and the phenotypes of certain genes. These data can be used to discover and prioritize targets for drug development, Dresden, Germany-based Cenix said.
“We look forward to driving this relationship beyond the initial pilot through to multiple projects,” Cenix CEO and CSO Christophe Echeverri said in a statement.