ALTEX :: Alternatives to Animal Experiments

2001, VOLUME 1

Modern Drug Development by Molecular and Cellbiological Methods

Johannes Döhmer

Technische Universität München and GenPharmTox BioTech AG, D-Martinsried

SUMMARY

V79 cells have been genetically modified for metabolism functions of humans in drug metabolism and metabolic activation of chemicals. All V79 constructs together form the V79 Cell BatteryTM by which GenPharmTox BioTech AG, Tutzing, Germany, is capable of checking drug metabolism early on during preclinical drug development with immediate relevance for the clinical testing of drugs. It is impossible to obtain those data from animal testing. Therefore, the intrinsic problems in extrapolating data generated from animal testing to humans has been circumvented.

Keywords: V79 cells, drug metabolism, animal testing