Cenix BioScience, a preclinical contract research provider and technology developer specialized in RNAi-, miRNA- and high content-driven pharmacology, and Debiopharm Group, a global Swiss biopharmaceutical group of companies focused on prescription drugs that target unmet medical needs, including oncology and companion diagnostics, have signed a research agreement to support Debiopharm in its ongoing efforts to develop novel therapeutic drug candidates.

Cenix will apply its expertise in combining high throughput screening with high content assays in cultured human cells, to identify predictive biomarkers for Debiopharm preclinical oncology candidates. Multi-parametric microscopy-based readouts established by Cenix using the Definiens XD image analysis platform will be used in a range of human cancer cell models to identify genes and pathways that either enhance or suppress the drug's therapeutic effects.

"We are very excited to launch this new relationship with Debiopharm, extending their repertoire with what we consider to be some of the most strategically powerful cell-based screening paradigms developed to date," said Dr. Christophe Echeverri, CEO/CSO of Cenix BioScience.