News

CellAura launches new GPCR ligands, with further products in the pipeline

Tue 13 Apr 2010

CellAura has added three new fluorescent GPCR ligands to its product catalogue.  

A new fluorescent ligand has been developed for the Histamine H1 receptor, extending the coverage of this receptor family. The first ligand for the 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT or serotonin) receptor family has been developed with the addition of a fluorescent 5HT-1A ligand. A fluorescent GABA-B ligand has also been developed, making this the first fluorescent ligand for an obligate GABA-B1/B2 heterodimeric GPCR.

 

These new ligands extend CellAura’s coverage of Family A (biogenic amine and small molecule) GPCRs, as well as adding a new ligand for a Family C (large extracellular binding domain) GPCR. Further product development is expected to include new fluorescent ligands for Family B (peptide binding) GPCRs. The new products are now available as standard catalogue items.

 
Fluorescence reagents provide a key non-radioactive choice

 

CellAura extends chemistry operations to support catalogue ligands expansion plan

Tue 13 Apr 2010

 
CellAura, the leading producer of fluorescent reagents for drug discovery and life sciences research, has made a further significant investment to extend its chemistry operations to allow faster expansion of its current fluorescent GPCR ligand catalogue.

 
This chemistry expansion includes recruitment of experienced synthetic organic chemists with a background in GPCR ligand synthesis to develop new fluorescent GPCR ligands for a range of GPCR families not currently covered by CellAura’s product catalogue. CellAura expects to see the fruition of this chemistry expansion with the introduction of many new fluorescent ligands over the forthcoming 6 to 12 months.

 

CellAura to develop reagents for Tag-lite™ GPCR technology platform for Cisbio Bioassays

Thu 22 Oct 2009

Fluorescence reagents provide key non-radioactive choiceNottingham, UK October 22, 2009 – CellAura, the leading producer of fluorescence reagents for drug discovery and life sciences research, today announced a development partnership with Cisbio Bioassays. Under the terms of the agreement, CellAura will provide pharmacologically validated reagents to Cisbio Bioassays that will be applied to Cisbio Bioassays’ Tag-lite™ range of non-radioactive assays for cellular studies.

 

Commenting on the collaboration, CellAura CEO Dai Hayward said: ”Maximising cellular information is increasingly seen as the key to successful drug discovery. CellAura combines world-renowned expertise from the University of Nottingham in the fields of synthetic chemistry and molecular pharmacology to produce high quality fluorescent receptor ligands as key components in drug candidate screening assays and imaging techniques. This new partnership with Cisbio Bioassays, which is one of the leaders in bioassays for cell surface receptor and functional studies, recognizes our rapid progress and is a major milestone.”
 
CellAura will develop a number of reagents for Cisbio Bioassays’ Tag-lite™ range. Tag-lite, part of Cisbio Bioassays’ comprehensive HTRF cellular platform, provides a homogeneous, non-radioactive and cost-effective alternative for the study of cell surface receptor dimerization and ligand binding. 
 
François Degorce, head of marketing for Cisbio Bioassays added: “GPCR and more generally cell surface receptor investigation are currently among the hottest topics in drug discovery. To enhance our Tag-lite platform addressing this area, we seek out partnerships with the best experts in their respective fields, and are pleased to collaborate with CellAura for the development of non-radioactive fluorescent ligands.”
 
CellAura will also retain rights for the reagents developed for use in their own range of assays for certain markets. Financial details were not disclosed.
                                             -ends-
 
Editors notes:           
CellAura is a spin out company from the University of Nottingham: combining world-renowned expertise in the fields of synthetic chemistry and molecular pharmacology we produce high quality fluorescent G-protein coupled receptor ligands for use in molecular pharmacology and imaging at the single cell level. Applications include:
High Content Screening - Live cell imaging of receptor-ligand binding, displacement, and receptor internalisation.
Ligand Binding Kinetics - Real-time analysis of ligand association and dissociation rates to determine receptor affinity.
Dual Readout Binding and Function (eg Ca++ signalling) - Distinguishes agonists, antagonists/inverse agonists, off-target effects and non-binders in one assay, to eliminate false hits and reduce follow-on screening.
High Throughput Screening - Dynamic or endpoint binding and displacement Fluorescence Intensity assays.
Confocal Microscopy - Localise receptor distribution in tissue sections, cell cultures and single cells
Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FCS) - Real-time analysis of single molecule ligand-receptor interactions.
Fluorescent Ligand Binding - Increased safety, reduced disposal cost and environmental impact vs radioligand binding.
Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorting (FACS) - No need to generate fluorescence-tagged receptor antibodies, select receptor expressing cells using a direct receptor-binding ligand.
  
 
 
Ref: CA0109
Corporate enquiries:
Dai Hayward, CEO
CellAura Technologies, BioCity, Pennyfoot Street, Nottingham NG1 1GF UK
Tel: +44 (0)7888 833859
Email: dai.hayward@cellaura.com
 
Media enquiries:
Richard Hayhurst, Schwartz Communications
Tel: +44 (0) 7711 821527
Email: rhayhurst@schwartz-pr.com
 
To download a pdf version of this Press Release, click here
 
 

 

 

CellAura to give a seminar on ‘Validation and quantification of Fluorescent GPCR ligand binding on the ArrayScan platform’

Mon 19 Oct 2009

Thermo Scientific have invited CellAura Technologies to give a seminar on their fluorescent ligands for GPCRs at the Thermo Scientific ArrayScan High Content Users Group meeting at the NH Alexanderplatz Hotel, Berlin, Germany on 20th October 2009. CellAura are delighted to be able to present data generated on the ArrayScan through collaboration with Thermo Scientific (UK).

 

CellAura completes US East Coast ‘Road Trip’ seminar series

Mon 22 Jun 2009

This month, CellAura completed an East Coast US business development trip, visiting 10 major pharmaceutical sites in 5 days. Professor Stephen Hill (Institute of Cell Signalling, University of Nottingham, and Director/Co-founder of CellAura Technologies) presented a seminar titled “New perspectives on GPCR pharmacology using fluorescent ligands and biophysical techniques”. Professor Hill also discussed how fluorescent ligands can overcome some of the drawbacks of more conventional high throughput screening platforms. Audiences engaged in positive discussion around the concepts and challenges presented, and a number of new business opportunities and potential collaborations have arisen as a consequence.

If you would like further information on our next planned seminar series, or information on CellAura’s products and their applications, please contact us.

 

CellAura to give a seminar on ‘Fluorescent Technologies for GPCR Screening

Fri 5 Jun 2009

MDS Analytical Technologies (GB) Ltd have invited CellAura Technologies to give a seminar on their fluorescent ligands for GPCRs at a joint MDS Analytical Technologies/BioFocus/DiscoveRx sponsored GPCR conference to be held at Chesterford Research Park, Saffron Walden, Essex, UK on 22nd and 23rd September 2009. CellAura were delighted to accept the invitation, and intend to present data generated in part through collaboration with MDS Analytical (UK).

 

CellAura Technologies Ltd and Fisher Scientific UK Ltd to become exclusive channel partners for the UK

Mon 1 Jun 2009

CellAura Technologies Ltd (Nottingham, UK) and Fisher Scientific UK Ltd (Loughborough, UK) are to become exclusive channel partners for the UK and Ireland. As the UK’s leading supplier of laboratory chemicals and equipment, Fisher Scientific distributes own label and branded products to 40,000 customers in the British Isles and selected overseas markets. CellAura branded products will be marketed by Fisher Scientific through their website, by Fisher Scientifics’ Sales Team and by their market leading e.Commerce solutions.

For further information on the agreement between CellAura Technologies and Fisher Scientific UK Ltd, please contact Dai Hayward, CEO, CellAura Technologies.

 

We've re-launched our website with a fresh new look and added functionality

Thu 7 May 2009

As you have already seen, to coincide with several recent significant events for CellAura, we have re-launched our website with a fresh new look to make it easier to navigate to find the products and services you require.

We've added links to our Distributors' websites to allow our products to be ordered through them, on-line. We have also improved the process for ordering products directly from CellAura for those territories not covered by our Distributors.

We've also added Technical Information pages for our products to allow you to easily access chemical and experimental information on-line. We have also included links to the product documentation to allow them to be e-mailed to you direct from the website.

The new website also includes our updated product branding, which has been carried through to new product literature, packaging and publications.

We hope that you like our new web-site, and that it becomes an enjoyable experience to use.