San Diego, CA, USA. ACEA Biosciences is profiled in the June 2007 Kalorama Report on "Early Toxicology: Markets and Approaches" as one of the emerging companies that provide novel approaches for in-vitro testing. The market of in-vitro toxicity testing for early tox totaled $396 million in 2006 and is projected to grow 10% per year to reach $573 million in 2010. The report examines issues and opportunities related to early toxicity testing in drug discovery. Toxicity is one of the primary reasons for compound failure during drug development. Hence, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies are implementing processes to assess toxicity early in compound development. Early toxicity assessment allows for the identification of compounds with toxic liabilities to improve decision-making and increase confidence in compounds as it advances through the different development stages. It also allows for prediction and assessment of compound interaction with cells, tissues, and systems. ACEA Biosciences proprietary biosensor technology with its real-time and label-free cell based assay systems allows for dynamic assessment of cellular responses to compounds including toxicity. The system identifies unique signature curves that help predict specific mechanism of toxicity of compounds. The use of this technology in combination with other approaches provides a useful tool for early assessment of toxicity. This report in conjunction with ACEA's involvement in EPA ToxCast program highlights the emerging role and utility of this system in providing affordable and meaningful assessment of toxicity.

Founded in 2001, San Diego-based ACEA Biosciences has pioneered the development of high-performance microelectronic systems for cell-based assays. ACEA has developed and is marketing on a world-wide basis its microtiter-plate based biosensor platform for a variety of applications in drug development, toxicology, cancer research, and medical microbiology and virology. ACEA's products are designed to meet the increasing needs of the life science research and drug discovery markets by providing cost-effective, automated, high content, real time microelectronic systems that simplify complex cell-based assay procedures and increase productivity.