MDS Pharma Services is renovating and expanding its discovery pharmacology operation in Taiwan. The expansion, which will be completed in 2010, is part of the company’s new strategic focus on early stage operations, discovery through Phase IIa proof-of-concept services.

The Taiwan facility supports molecular screening and profiling, as well as in vivo safety and efficacy testing. The renovation plan significantly expands and upgrades each area. In vivo capacity has been doubled and will include dedicated space to meet individual client needs. The site’s automated molecular screening and profiling capability and efficiency will be improved with additional robotic high-throughput screening capacity and analytical support.

“This new and expanded facility will cement our position as the global leader in the discovery pharmacology space, where we are one of the top two providers of molecular screening, and a key supplier of in vivo efficacy and safety testing,” said MDS Pharma Services president David Spaight. “This investment builds on a 40-year track record of success in this service area, and supports our recently announced strategic focus on the Discovery through Phase IIa Proof-of-Concept segment of the outsourcing market.”

The Taiwan site is part of the company’s pharmacology/DMPK line of service, which offers molecular, cellular, ADME/DMPK and in vivo assays for use in identifying lead drug candidates, profiling for selectivity, determining potential for adverse events, evaluating efficacy and establishing proof of concept.