Establishing the market-readiness of an in vivo technology for assessing drug toxicity-induced tissue damage

PROJECT SUMMARY In drug R&D it is critical to be able to understand toxicity and to identify and eliminate overly toxic candidates. However, there is a significant technological gap for in vivo toxicity testing.

To address this challenge, we developed a novel imaging-based approach that detects toxicity-induced tissue injury in a minimally invasive, whole body and dynamic fashion.

The invention and development of the technology has had a substantial academic track record by our scientists; and its commercialization is driven by a strong market need, technical expertise and marketing know-how.

The goal of the current Phase I STTR grant is twofold: 1) to determine the sensitivity and specificity of our imaging technology, and 2) to establish a user-friendly report system which summarizes and presents the findings to end users who have a general drug R&D background. The accomplishment of our goal will enable us to launch a market-ready service package with user accessibility.

Overall, this in vivo imaging approach identifies an important marker for drug toxicity on a personalized basis with an objective and quantitative metric.

The early detection of drug toxicity in susceptible tissues will help make timely decisions in drug R&D by prioritizing safe and efficacious candidates.