KeyNeurotek AG

Company profile

KeyNeurotek is positioned at the interface between neuroscience and CNS drug development. We offer a set of services to the pharmaceutical and biotech industry as well as to academic and non-academic research institutions. These services enable our clients to shorten discovery and preclinical drug development processes.

Our location at one of the leading European centers of basic and applied neuroscience allows us to maintain and to further extend a broad scientific basis. KeyNeurotek appreciates intense contacts to many highly reputed Research Institutions, among them the Leibniz-Institute for Neurobiology, the Research Institute of Applied Neurosciences (FAN gGmbH) and the Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg. Within the Magdeburg ZENIT-Technology Park, world class research facilities are at our disposal.

TELOMICS^®

Most if not all drug development programmes depend on the prior identification of appropriate target structures. Despite breath-taking new technologies as Genomics and Proteomics, the identification and validation of truly disease-related targets remains very critical. Once a target has been identified and validated, the screening of a fast growing number of compound collections of either natural or synthetic origin can be performed extremely fast in order to select hits interacting with this target. However, high through put screening (HTS) does not rely on biological effects. Thus, HTS hits must be evaluated under model conditions mimicking the pathophysiology of the respective disease as close as possible and with acceptable through put. Unfortunately, current test series often compromise either the first or the second matter. In particular, subcellular or cellular studies reflect complex physiological scenarios insufficiently, whereas whole animal experiments, although covering this aspect, are slow and expensive.

KeyNeurotek’s TELOMICS^® technology, relying on cerebral tissue cultures (lat. tela = tissue), provides a strategy to overcome major bottlenecks in discovery and preclinical drug development, i.e. target identification/validation or efficient screening of HTS-positive compounds.

Our integrated service packages

Based on our scientific and technological expertise, we offer fast, efficient and reliable in vitro services for CNS drug development (e.g. in the context of cerebral ischemia, neurotrauma and neuroregeneration).

In addition, we are able to offer a wide spectrum of in vivo methods due to a strategic alliance with the Research Institute for Applied Neurosciences (FAN) gGmbH, Magdeburg. Although the through put of these in vivo technologies is much lower compared to TELOMICS®, they are ideal for confirming results obtained in vitro.

Our customers can choose between two modes of interaction, contract research on cost basis or long-term R&D projects conducted in close collaboration or under the guidance of our clients. KeyNeurotek AG guarantees quality, reliability and confidentiality.

In vitro technologies based on cerebral tissue cultures

• apoptotic and non-apoptotic death staining

• hippocampal tissue for analyzing gene expression and protein modification

• patterns

• mitochondrial function

• Immunohistochemistry

• calcium imaging

• confocal laser scan microscopy

• electrophysiology in brain slices (LTP, neurotoxicity)

coming soon:

• multi-electrode arrays

• stem cell proliferation

• anti sense technologies

• cortical/striatal co-cultures

• evaluation of transgenic tissues

• proteome and genome analysis

In vivo technologies

• global ischemia in gerbils (2VO), mice and rats (4VO)

• endothelin-induced focal ischemia in rats (eMCAO)

• learning and memory paradigms (including in vivo LTP)

• stem cell proliferation and neuronal differentiation analysis

• sleep EEG

• brain morphology

• microdialysis and HPLC

• in vivo distribution of compounds and metabolites

• penetration through the blood brain barrier

• cerebral tissues for analyzing gene expression and protein modification

• functional imaging (fMRI)

• behavioural testing of rodents