MPI Research constantly strives to meet both current and future sponsor needs in a changing regulatory environment. In a new effort to address sponsors requirements, both in early drug discovery and in later stage drug development, MPI Research announced today the formation of a new division. The new division will perform in-vitro assessment of potential cardiac safety liability utilizing patch clamp assays for evaluation of hERG potassium channels, as well as action potential duration evaluations using isolated Purkinje fibers.

MPI Research’s newest division is staffed by a group of five premier former Pharmacia corporation scientists led by Galen Carey, PhD. This research group has extensive experience performing hERG and action potential duration assays for early discovery support at both the former Pharmacia and current Pfizer-Kalamazoo, Michigan research site. Currently, Dr. Carey and his team are moving into their new headquarters in the Southwest Michigan Innovation Center in near-by Kalamazoo, with plans to be operational by the January 1, 2004. The group will spend the next two months installing and validating equipment, computer systems, and key assays. The new group will have the ability to perform both the hERG and action potential assays under both GLP and non-GLP conditions.

Dr. James Laveglia, Executive Vice President and Director of Research, commented “We are very proud to announce the formation of our new in-vitro cardiac safety division. We are even more excited to begin this new company with a staff of some of the most experienced scientists in this field. When the group becomes operational in the beginning of 2004, they will give MPI Research the ability to support our sponsors at an earlier stage of drug discovery than we have been able to in the past. In addition to early lead optimization support, our in-vitro safety pharmacology group will be ready to help sponsors meet the ICH S7B regulations for GLP cardiac safety evaluations. MPI Research is ready to lead the contract research industry in GLP in-vitro ion channel testing, just as we did several years ago with GLP in-vivo safety pharmacology.”

MPI Research exists to provide comprehensive non-clinical research that meets the requirements of pharmaceutical, medical device, animal health and chemical companies as well as governmental agencies as we partner together to bring safer, healthier products to the world. MPI Research employees specialize in a wide variety of scientific disciplines including toxicology, pharmacology, metabolism, pathology, clinical pathology, reproductive and developmental biology, veterinary science, neuroscience, experimental therapeutics, immunotoxicology, analytical chemistry, computer science, regulatory science, and statistics.

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