ChanTest to Highlight Most-Comprehensive Range of Ion Channel Profiling Screens and Consultation Services at 14th Annual SBS Conference, ...( CLEVELAND March 25 /- ChanTest th...)

CLEVELAND, March 25 /PRNewswire/ -- ChanTest, the leading provider of ion channel testing services for drug-discovery and development applications, will feature at the SBS conference the company's expanding line of ion channel services designed to give drug-discovery researchers the early information they need to identify the most promising compounds, and eliminate those that could be harmful -- before they invest millions in the drug-development process. The 14th Annual Society for Biomolecular Sciences (SBS) Conference takes place April 6-10, 2008, at the America's Center Convention Complex in St. Louis, Missouri. ChanTest is exhibiting in booth 1104.

"When completed early in the drug-discovery process, ChanTest's functional ion channel screens can save considerable time, money, and other resources," said Dr. Arthur (Buzz) Brown, founder and CEO of ChanTest. "Our automated and manual patch clamp profiling screens provide more-accurate results than binding screens since results are generated by measuring the functional effects of drugs directly on ion channel currents. For higher-throughput screening, we use FLIPRTetra(R) to measure membrane potential and potassium flux for voltage-gated and calcium-activated potassium channels. Too often, researchers identify unacceptable safety risks late in the drug-development process -- during the GLP (Good Laboratory Practices) patch-clamp studies that are required by the FDA for an IND (Investigational New Drug) submission. Using our functional screens during the discovery profiling process helps avoid this situation."

Dr. Brown continued, "Unlike most service organizations, ChanTest has validated its cell lines for testing at each phase of the drug-discovery process. Whether customers need initial high-throughput screening of hits, high-sensitivity screens for lead identification and lead optimization, or safety testing in preparation for an IND submission -- our results will correlate. We tailor each c
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