Sygnature Discovery, an integrated drug discovery provider, is joining forces with Axol Bioscience, a company involved in scientific collaboration with human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC), to explore the incorporation of human iPSC-derived microglia into high-content imaging in vitroscreening workflows.

Human iPSC-derived cells are stem cells derived from patient donors that are a powerful tool in biomedical research due to their ability to differentiate into various cell types found in the human body. Microglia are neuro-inflammatory cells that constitute ~10% of the brain’s cell population and are a key therapeutic target in the development of adequate treatments for Alzheimer’s Disease and other neurodegenerative conditions.

By collaborating with Axol Bioscience, Sygnature Discovery aims to enhance its drug discovery capabilities by incorporating human iPSC-derived cells into its high-content imaging and screening workflows.

High-content imaging allows researchers to gain a deeper understanding of the cellular response to drug candidates and identify potential therapeutic targets with higher precision and accuracy.

“Our collaboration highlights the importance of leveraging innovative technologies and expertise to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the drug discovery process,” said Tim Phillips, associate director (Bioscience) at Sygnature Discovery. “Axol’s extensive practical experience in handling human iPSCs will accelerate our ambition to offer high content-based imaging assays to customers in the neuroscience therapeutic area.”

Ashley Barnes, chief scientific officer at Axol Bioscience, said, “Sygnature is renowned for its quality in vitro screening cascades, and we are delighted to collaborate with the company to see human iPSCs used at scale. Supplying the Biopharma community with high-quality human iPSCs will significantly enhance drug discovery pathways and reduce risk in this challenging space. Hopefully, that translates to better therapies to patients living with the conditions.”