OREANDA-NEWS. Cyprotex PLC (AIM:CRX), a specialist Contract Research Organisation (CRO), announced today the purchase of a new IntelliCyt iQue® Screener for expansion of its cell-based services. The instrument uses flow cytometry to analyse fluorescently labelled particles or cells in a fluid as they flow past a detector. The IntelliCyt iQue® Screener has the advantage that it can sample very low volumes and is the only commercial flow cytometer able to process from 1536 well plates. Unlike high content imaging instruments, flow cytometry is able to analyse suspension cells and particles, and so diversifies our offering into the area of immunology-based services, and expands our bioscience, phenotypic screening and in vitro toxicology capabilities.

Biologics are becoming increasingly important in drug discovery with the number of drug approvals growing rapidly. Many of these therapies are antibody-based and are used to treat either cancers or immune-based conditions. By introducing flow cytometry, Cyprotex can expand into the field of immuno-oncology and antibody discovery and allow the Company a foothold in this growing market.

Dr Anthony Baxter, Cyprotex's Chief Executive Officer, comments: "Expanding into the field of biologics is a critical step in the continued growth of Cyprotex. Flow cytometry not only allows us to address this market but enables us to target immune-based phenotypic screening and safety assessment of small molecules."

Cyprotex is listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange (CRX). It has sites at Macclesfield and Alderley Park, both of which are near Manchester in the UK, and at Watertown, MA and Kalamazoo, MI in the US. The Company was established in 1999 and works with more than 1400 partners within the pharmaceutical and biotech industry, cosmetics and personal care industry and the chemical industry. Cyprotex acquired Apredica and the assets of Cellumen Inc. in August 2010 and the combined business provides support for a wide range of experimental and computational ADME-Tox and PK services.