If your drug development program has a particular lineage-specific hemotoxicity issue such as neutropenia (myeloid lineage toxicity), acute anemia (erythroid lineage toxicity) or thrombocytopenia (megakaryocytic lineage toxicity), ReachBio Research Labs has a predictive in vitro assay to help you understand the situation more clearly.

ReachBio Research Labs' Predictive In Vitro Assays for Lineage-Specific Hemotoxicity

Neutropenia (CFU-GM Assay)

Compound-induced neutropenia often occurs because the compound is toxic to the myeloid progenitor cells. These clonogenic progenitor cells grow as morphologically identifiable CFU-GM colonies in methylcellulose-based media. The CFU-GM assay is extremely robust and can be used to evaluate the effects of drugs and other agents on myeloid lineage progenitors and thus is a perfect in vitro assay for predicting compound-induced neutropenia.

Anemia (BFU-E Assay)

Severe, acute anemia can be caused by some compounds if they are toxic to the progenitor cells of the erythroid lineage. Since the half life of red blood cells is longer than that of neutrophils, it can take longer for drug-induced anemia to present in clinical studies than drug-induced neutropenia. The in vitro BFU-E assay can evaluate the effects of agents on the erythroid progenitors and so can predict the potential for a new drug to cause acute anemia. This erythroid progenitor colony-forming cell assay is also performed in methylcellulose-based semi-solid media. Since erythroid progenitors are very easily distinguished from myeloid progenitors, the CFU-GM and BFU-E assays are often performed at the same time in the same dishes and results for both lineages are provided at no extra charge.

Thrombocytopenia (CFU-Mk Assay)

Some compound classes are toxic to the megakaryocytic (platelet) progenitors and cause severe thrombocytopenia. Progenitors of the megakaryocytic lineage can be grown as colonies in the CFU-Mk assay. These in vitro colony-forming cell assays are performed in collagen-based media and are used to evaluate the potential of compounds to cause clinical thrombocytopenia.

ReachBio Research Labs' scientists are experts at performing and interpreting CFU-GM, BFU-E and CFU-Mk assays. If you have any issues with lineage-specific or general hemotoxicity in your drug development program, please CONTACT US to discuss how we can help.