Metrion Biosciences has launched the Naᵥ1.9 screening assay, aimed at progressing the discovery along with the development of new pain therapeutics.
This validated assay is designed to address the challenges associated with Naᵥ1.9 screening and provide decision-ready data for researchers.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Naᵥ1.9 is said to be a voltage-gated sodium channel expressed in peripheral sensory neurons and is a crucial player in the signalling of pain.
Mutations in this channel can lead to severe pain or insensitivity.
Although Naᵥ1.9 presents an opportunity for non-opioid pain management therapies, research has been hindered by the complexity of stable heterologous expression system development.
Metrion noted that the assay enhances its current safety and efficacy screening assay portfolio.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataIt brings new offerings that can expedite and de-risk preclinical programmes, offering insights into Naᵥ1.9 pharmacology.
Designed using a Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell line, the assay has been optimised for low variability and high reproducibility.
It is available with both human-derived and rat-derived clones, which aids in understanding the selectivity of species and developing therapeutics.
Completing Metrion’s suite of pain-related sodium channel assays, the Naᵥ1.9 assay enables selectivity profiling across channels from Naᵥ1.1 to Naᵥ1.9.
The company’s offering also includes a range of off-target counter screens, other pain-related ion channel targets, and a comprehensive in vitro proarrhythmia assay (CiPA) panel for evaluating the risk of cardiac safety
Metrion Biosciences’s chief scientific officer Dr Eddy Stevens said: “Metrion is now able to offer a unique combination of sodium channel expertise, high-throughput screening solutions, and research services. These cover the full suite of pain-related sodium channels.
“By facilitating streamlined compound evaluation and accelerated lead optimisation, this service offering has the potential to bring novel pain therapeutics to market rapidly and more cost-effectively.”
