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Metrion Biosciences Introduces NaV1.9 High-Throughput Screening Assay to Accelerate Non-Opioid Pain Therapeutics Development

2 months ago

CAMBRIDGE, England – Metrion Biosciences, a specialist preclinical contract research organization (CRO) and global leader in ion channel services, has launched a validated high-throughput NaV1.9 screening assay to enhance the discovery and development of novel pain therapeutics. Drawing on more than a decade of electrophysiology expertise, this new assay overcomes traditional challenges in NaV1.9 screening, delivering reliable and actionable data for researchers. NaV1.9 is a voltage-gated sodium channel primarily found in peripheral sensory neurons and plays a crucial role in pain signaling. Mutations in this channel have been linked to both extreme pain and pain insensitivity in humans, making it a promising target for non-opioid pain management. However, research on NaV1.9 has been hindered by the difficulty of creating stable heterologous expression systems, which are essential for developing effective screening tools. Metrion's innovative NaV1.9 assay uses a stable and validated CHO (Chinese Hamster Ovary) cell line to ensure high reproducibility and low variability. It is available for both human and rat clones, allowing researchers to explore species-specific differences and develop more precise therapeutics. This addition to Metrion’s portfolio of efficacy and safety screening assays provides valuable new capabilities, accelerating preclinical programs and offering deeper insights into NaV1.9 pharmacology. The introduction of the NaV1.9 assay completes Metrion’s comprehensive suite of pain-related sodium channel assays, covering NaV1.1 to NaV1.9. This comprehensive offering includes a range of off-target counter screens, addressing other pain-related ion channels and cardiac safety risks through a CiPA panel. Metrion also supports manual clamp-based mechanistic and translational assays, as well as automated patch clamp using the Qube 384, enabling highly sensitive and rapid analysis of large compound libraries. These additional services streamline hit-to-lead and lead optimization processes, significantly reducing project timelines. Dr. Eddy Stevens, Chief Scientific Officer at Metrion Biosciences, emphasized the significance of this development: "Effective assays for studying the NaV1.9 sodium channel have long been a critical obstacle to advancing non-opioid pain treatments. Metrion’s new NaV1.9 assay, combined with our extensive ion channel expertise, high-throughput screening solutions, and research services, offers a powerful toolset for comprehensive pain-related sodium channel studies. This launch not only facilitates streamlined compound evaluation and accelerated lead optimization but also highlights our commitment to leading the field in ion channel drug discovery." For further information on how Metrion is addressing the challenges of NaV1.9 to drive breakthroughs in pain treatment, visit their website at www.metrionbiosciences.com/neuroscience/nav1-9-assays/. For more updates and news from Metrion Biosciences, stay tuned to their official communications.

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