Merck Millipore, the Life Science division of Merck, today announced the expansion of its biomarker testing service capabilities with the launch of flow cytometry services at its North America facility.

The service supports exploratory and GLP-requiring studies, and includes full and flexible assay development, validation and sample testing services using clinically established flow cytometry instrumentation. The launch completes the significant investment Merck Millipore has made over the past two years to develop flow cytometry services globally, building on the existing industry-leading flow cytometry capabilities of the company's European testing site in Oxford, UK.

At the St. Charles, Missouri facility, Merck Millipore provides a wide range of quantitative analyses for drug development including pharmacodynamic, immunophenotyping, receptor assays, antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity, cell proliferation and genomic biomarker testing. The site also offers cell-based assay options for immunogenicity testing, monoclonal antibody assays and characterization services for biosimilars.

"Flow cytometry technologies have become increasingly sophisticated and valuable for biomarker evaluation," notes Dr. James Hulse, North America Managing Scientific Director for Merck Millipore Discovery and Development. "Adding this service to our drug development services offering allows customers to gain greater insight into relevant biomarkers and make pipeline decisions in confidence."

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