Medicines Discovery Catapult and ZEISS look to advance microscopy technology

The Alderley Park based Medicines Discovery Catapult has partnered with lens manufacturer ZEISS to advance how microscopy is used in developing new drugs.

The new partnership will combine the Medicines Discovery Catapult’s expertise in cell biology and drug discovery with ZEISS’ optics capabilities: while ZEISS is best known to consumers for its camera lenses, the German company was established in 1847 as a microscope manufacturer and supplier of scientific equipment.

Advanced microscopy techniques have emerged as a foundation of biomedical research, capable of visualising cellular functions at very high resolution, whilst being minimally invasive to the cells or tissues of interest. Incorporating advanced microscopy techniques into the early stages of the drug discovery process can provide invaluable information about drug activity within complex disease models.

As a result of the new partnership, the Medicines Discovery Catapult has established specialist advanced microscopy capabilities within their state-of-the-art Alderley Park based laboratory facilities utilising several ZEISS microscopes to answer drug discovery questions by applying a range of advanced microscopy solutions.

Michael Albiez, Head of ZEISS Research Microscopy Solutions, said:

“We are very excited about partnering with MDC to pursue our mutual goal of enabling drug hunters across the globe to discover and develop better drugs faster. Pairing MDC’s expertise in drug discovery with our unique capabilities across imaging modalities, workflow automation, and AI-powered image analysis will undoubtedly pave the way for powerful new discoveries in biopharma.”

Dr Martin Main, Chief Scientist at MDC, said:

“Advanced microscopy offers an array of benefits to drug discovery, from characterising complex cell models of disease, to understanding the molecular mechanism of drug action. MDC’s Advanced Microscopy capability allows UK drug discovery innovators access to this critical R&D resource to progress their targets more efficiently and effectively, bringing better treatments to patients, faster.

“Through this partnership, we will push the boundaries of advanced microscopy in drug discovery, further driving the adoption of new scientific tools and techniques for drug discovery.”