[HCS Pharma] Let's go back to work and discover our new automation platform !

September 2017

Nous sommes très heureux de vous présenter ce mois-ci deux étapes capitales de notre développement : notre nouvelle plateforme d'automatisation pour le criblage phénotypique en production sur Lille et la première réunion de notre comité scientifique. Nous avons également profité de l'été pour remettre à jour nos services que vous pouvez découvrir sur notre site.
Si vous voulez nous rencontrer, nous serons sur Drug Discovery 2017 (Liverpoool, Octobre 3/4), SIBS 2017 (Zürich - Octobre 12/13 ), BIO EUROPE (Berlin - Novembre 6/8), ELRIGfr (Monaco - Novembre 27/28), Biofit (Strasbourg - Novembre 28/29).

We are very happy to present you this month two major steps of our development: our automation platform for phenotypic screening in production in Lille and the first meeting of our scientific advisory board. We also spent time this summer to update our services that you can discover on our website.
If you want to meet us, we will be present at Drug Discovery 2017 (Liverpoool, October 3/4), SIBS 2017 (Zürich - October 12/13 ), BIO EUROPE (Berlin - November 6/8), ELRIGfr (Monaco - November 27/28), Biofit (Strasbourg - November 28/29).

Our first scientific advisory board meeting in HCS Pharma

We welcome in this board Karim Si-Tayeb, Romeo Cecchelli, David Devos and Georg Haase. We are working with Karim to differentiate hepatocytes from patients cells (iPS) in a 3D context in a really great collaborative RHU project (CHOPIN). We are collaborating with Romeo, David and Georg to develop new human neurodegenerative cellular models, by using innovative neuronal cultures and by combining them with the human BBB model from LBHE (Artois university).

Validation of our new automation platform

During these last two weeks, we took control of our new robotic platform and validated the pipetting volumes and the entire process by testing it with a few plates. Some steps are still to be improved, such as the scheduling of the plates. The first screening with a few plates was on hepatotoxicity assay on SCREEN-WELL® Hepatotoxicity library from ENZO (238 compounds) in one concentration.

Welcome Elodie, new study director in HCS Pharma !

Elodie obtained her Master’s degree in Physiology, Physiopatholoy and Neurosciences at Lille 2 University in 2007. Then she joined the Blood-Brain Barrier Laboratory (LBHE, EA2465, Artois University) to prepare a PhD in Life Sciences that she defended in 2011: her project was dealing with the development of new in vitroblood-brain barrier (BBB) models for the study of cellular interactions in health and disease.

Interested in genotoxicity ?
Click here and discover our Comets, Micronucleus and H2AX assays !

Imaging 3D spheroïds with light sheet microscopy

Imaging inner cells in a 3D spheroïd requires a well adapted microscopy technology. HCS Pharma is now equipped with MicroXLS Confocal from Molecular Devices to perform the best images using an automated spinning disk microscope. We also pursue our development using brand new microscopy technologies to have an overview of the different available possibilities. Thanks to Dr Sibarata and Dr Galland from the Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience located in Bordeaux, France, and Mr Clouvel from Imagin Optics, who gave us the opportunity to use the SPIM microscope. Dr Savary, our partner in Innovcell 3D project, joined us with hepatocyte spheroïds prepared for imagery.

Assessing GPCRs signaling using fluorescent bioscensors

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are essential for cellular responses to external stimuli, by triggering changes in cyclic AMP (cAMP) pathways and the phosphatidylinositol pathway. Near half of the current drugs target GPCRs signaling.

Quantitative mRNA imaging in a small yet entire brain

In Nature Methods from July, Xi Long and colleagues from the Howard Hughes Medicale Institute Janelia Research Campus (Ashburn, Virginia, USA) have developed a RNA fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) to study brain development and function, which require the expression of select genes at specific times in appropriate neurons.

La Donnée : l’ADN des sciences de la vie

Dans cet édito sur l’importance croissante des données dans les sciences de la vie, Gabriel Chaher (Vice-Président Global Market Development chez Quantum) rappelle quelques vérités simples que nous ne pouvons plus ignorer à l’ère des liens entre biotechnologie et outils numériques.

Services

Explain us your requirements and we develop your assays to best meet your needs !

Why HCS ?

To target complex diseases (as cancer and neurodegenerative diseases), more than one target are needed and screening on complex model is recommended.

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