Varian, Inc.'s New Focus Solid Phase Extraction Solution Speeds Pharmaceutical Bioanalysis
Simplified extraction of polar compounds from biological matrices; dramatically reduces method development process for drug discovery laboratories
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PALO ALTO, Calif., Sep 3, 2002 - Varian, Inc. today introduced its Focus(TM) polar-enhanced solid phase extraction (SPE) product, a solution for extracting developmental pharmaceutical compounds from blood plasma and other biological samples for subsequent analysis. With the patent- pending Focus technology, days or even weeks of method development time can be eliminated during the various drug discovery steps.
The new technique delivers outstanding recovery for polar, as well as non-polar analytes, resulting in up to four times the amount of drug compound recovered with Focus when compared to competing extraction techniques. Focus provides customers with a simple, universal method minimizing the need for time-consuming method development efforts.
Solid phase extraction is an important technique in pharmaceutical bioanalysis, a key step in the drug discovery and development process. During bioanalysis, developmental compounds are injected into animal and human subjects; blood and other biological samples are then taken. SPE is used to clean the samples by removing proteins and other interferences that would otherwise hinder analysis using liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS). In addition to studying drug interactions and efficacy, bioanalysis is critical for documenting development processes for regulatory bodies.
"Varian, Inc.'s drug discovery customers are in constant need of solutions that compress development cycles by helping them target the most promising compounds," said Martin O'Donoghue, vice president and general manager of chromatography and analytical supplies, Varian, Inc. "Our Focus offering is an excellent example of how we apply our expertise in laboratory consumables so that drug development laboratories get a simpler and faster solution than any currently available offering."
Using a single Focus method, laboratories conducting early stage bioanalysis can quickly extract a broad range of polar and non-polar drugs. When used in drug metabolism and pharmacokinetcs (DMPK) and clinical studies, Focus is especially effective for quantitatively extracting both parent drug and metabolites at ultra low levels.
Varian, Inc.'s Focus(TM) SPE solution is available in a 96-well-plate format. It is available for immediate delivery in the U.S. and in the 2nd quarter of 2003 internationally.