Absorption Systems Boosts Ophthalmic Drug Testing
Absorption Systems recently announced that, as part of the continuing expansion of capabilities at its San Diego, CA facility, the company has hired Glen Gum, M.S., Ph.D. as Associate Director of Preclinical Studies. The company's San Diego facility, in the midst of a major upgrade and expansion of staff, equipment, and capabilities in the specialized area of preclinical ocular drug testing, has experienced 38% revenue growth year-over-year in 2011. Dr. Gum joins Absorption Systems with many years of in vivo experience, particularly in ophthalmic drug discovery, drug development, and toxicology. He will be responsible for training and technical operations related to preclinical ocular pharmacokinetics (PK), efficacy, and safety, and will be based in the company's AAALAC-accredited vivarium in San Diego, CA.
Absorption Systems' preclinical ocular test portfolio includes in vivo ocular PK, efficacy, and safety in multiple species, as well as in vitro ocular permeability and metabolism. One unique in vitro permeability model, only available as a service platform through Absorption Systems, is the human corneal orb, a tissue construct cultured from human pluripotent stem cells. Corneal orbs were developed by Lifeline Cell Technology, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of International Stem Cell Corporation, and validated as an in vitro corneal permeability test system by Absorption Systems.
"We are very pleased to have Dr. Glen Gum join our growing team in San Diego and add to the strength of our testing program in ophthalmic drugs and devices," said Patrick M. Dentinger, president and CEO of Absorption Systems. "He is renowned in the world of ocular drug development, and his extensive experience and stellar credentials raise our level of sophistication in that area, allowing us to serve our customers better.
Prior to joining Absorption Systems, Dr. Gum was Senior Manager/Principal Scientist at the Biological Test Center (BTC), a division of B. Braun Medical Inc., where he trained and led teams of scientists and technicians performing preclinical in vivo tests of the pharmacokinetics, efficacy, and safety of drugs and medical devices. He had previously been on the faculty of the College of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Florida for seven years. Over the course of his long career, Dr. Gum has developed or co-developed many of the preclinical models of glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), retinoblastoma, uveitis, and diabetes that are used all over the world for drug testing. He has authored or co-authored more than 100 publications and several book chapters.
"Absorption Systems is a growing company and an innovator in preclinical testing programs," commented Dr. Gum. "I am thrilled to be joining the team and look forward to driving innovative testing, especially in the area of ocular drug development where there are huge unmet needs and a lot of work to be done."
About Absorption Systems
Absorption Systems, founded in 1996, assists pharmaceutical and medical device companies in identifying and overcoming ADMET (Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion and Toxicity) barriers in the development of drugs and medical devices. The company's mission is to continually develop innovative research tools that can be used to accurately predict human outcomes or to explain unanticipated human outcomes when they occur. The CellPort Technologies platform, a suite of human cell-based test systems for drug transporter characterization, exemplifies Absorption Systems' commitment to innovation and is soon to be an industry assay standard for in vitro drug interaction assessment. Absorption Systems has facilities near Philadelphia, PA, and San Diego, CA, and serves customers throughout the world. For more information, visit www.absorption.com.
SOURCE: Absorption Systems