Platypus Technologies
Clinical Precision in Cell Movement Measurement

In drug discovery and cancer research, the study of cell movement acts as a cornerstone for success as cell migration is the central activity in wound healing, cell growth, and cancer metastasis. To determine cell movement as a response to inducers or inhibitors, researcher use Transwell Migration Assay but interrupted cell movement, uncertainty over the experiment’s status, and error-prone results are major concerns. Here comes Platypus Technologies with its ORIS^TM Migration Assays that inject accuracy in quantitative measurement of cell migration. These assays ensure consistent cell-free detection regions for accurate, reproducible quantification of cell movement. The Madison, Wisconsin based firm’s assays simplify the study of cell motility and morphology and holistically advance drug discovery and the cancer research process.

"From the precise measurement of cell movement to high throughput in drug discovery, our assays deliver phenomenal outcomes,” says Dr. Gordon Nameni, COO, Platypus Technologies. Dr. Nameni elaborates how ORIS^TM Migration assays have enhanced the study of cell movement. ORIS^TM Migration Assay utilizes a physical stopper, which is a barrier to create a cell-free detection zone in the center of each well of a 96-well plate. The stopper assay helps to exercise more manual control and this capability aids in the study of a cell movement over a lengthy adhesion period. Researchers can seed cells around the stopper on a time frame of their choice and remove the stopper afterward. Subsequently, the assay would be run through a reader and researchers can achieve very quantitative measurement by determining movement of a cell. “There is a very low standard deviation for ORIS^TM products as compared to other prospective migration assays that can be used,” says Dr. Nameni.

Platypus Technologies enables researchers with its ORIS^TM Pro Migration Assay to rev up their experiments with the power of automation. Instead of stoppers, the ORIS^TM Pro Migration Assay uses a soluble gel to create the central cell-free detection zone in the center of each well of a 96 or 384- cell plate. The product is simple to use with liquid handlers and high content imagers.

From the precise measurement of cell movement to high throughput in drug discovery, our assays deliver phenomenal outcomes

Platypus’s products have become imperative for cancer research, helping researchers separate healthy cells away from cancer cells. Platypus’s technology delivers a high throughput system that enables researchers to expedite the experiment life cycle. Its migration assays enrich researchers with more critical data that helps them in orienting the course of their experiments. For contract research organizations (CROs) like Icagen, Platypus’s products are of immense help. These organizations attain higher efficiency and lower drug development costs by utilizing the full 384 wells of the ORIS^TM Pro Migration and performing additional endpoint analysis on a wide variety of compatible readers (LI-COR Odyssey, Perkin Elmer VICTOR3 V, Beckman Coulter Paradigm, to name a few).

In recognition of the need to produce more physiologically relevant assays, Platypus recently launched a 3D Embedded Invasion Assay using the stopper technology of ORIS^TM or the biocompatible gel of the ORIS^TM Pro. Of late, the company has been modifying its assays so that they would be consistent with IR reporting. It has also added reagents with its assays and started preliminary work on high infectants.

In the journey so far, Platypus Technologies has traversed a great path from developing liquid crystal based biomolecular sensors to three-dimensional assays. The firm continuously evaluates the value proposition of its products with the help of researchers and orients its product development process towards specific market needs. Collaboration with the University of Wisconsin researchers and their direct involvement as board members has added an edge to the company in the research space. Since the launch of migration assays in 2007, the products have enjoyed patronage from a diverse user community, and the company looks forward to creating a new trajectory of success.