NETPark company Magnitude Biosciences identifies new potential uses for existing medicines
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
NETPark-based Magnitude Biosciences has published a new case study demonstrating how its technology can help researchers identify potential new therapeutic uses for existing medicines.
Whole-organism drug screening using FDA-approved compounds
The company used its VivoScan platform to screen a focused panel of 180 drugs selected from a library of more than 7,000 FDA-approved compounds. The aim was to identify medicines that produced measurable improvements in longevity when tested using C. elegans, a microscopic worm widely used in early-stage drug discovery.
One promising compound was identified and subsequently studied using Magnitude Biosciences’ WormGazer technology. The results showed improvements in healthspan and mobility, indicating that the compound supported healthier ageing rather than simply extending lifespan.
Identifying new opportunities for drug repurposing
Further analysis found changes in more than 500 genes, many of which have equivalents in humans. The findings supported what researchers already knew about the compound while also highlighting previously unrecognised biological processes that could point to new therapeutic applications.
The study demonstrates how Magnitude Biosciences can take researchers from the initial screening of large compound libraries through to validation and investigation of how a promising compound works.
VivoScan and WormGazer drug discovery technology
Magnitude Biosciences’ VivoScan platform enables more than 1,000 compounds to be screened in a single experiment. WormGazer then provides detailed information about factors including movement, mobility and cognitive function.
Together, the technologies help researchers assess how compounds affect a whole living organism, providing additional evidence to support early-stage drug discovery and compound prioritisation.
Life sciences expertise at NETPark
Based at Plexus, NETPark, Magnitude Biosciences provides drug discovery and preclinical research services to biotechnology, pharmaceutical and academic organisations around the world.
Its latest work is another example of the specialist life sciences expertise being developed within NETPark’s community of science and technology companies.
