Discovery Life Sciences, a Huntsville, Alabama-based producer of biospecimens and biomarkers to make new therapies, has acquired Columbia, Maryland-based In Vitro ADMET Laboratories (IVAL).
Financial details were not disclosed.
According to Discovery Life Sciences, the acquisition adds to the company's inventory as well as brings a scientific leader into the company’s fold. IVAL is a provider of physiologically relevant in vitro experimental systems to enhance the efficiency of drug metabolism, toxicology and pharmacology testing for the pharmaceutical industry.
Dr. Albert P. Li, who founded IVAL in 2004, will join Discovery's leadership team as chief scientific officer of pharmacology and toxicology. Under Li's leadership, IVAL has been instrumental in supporting the submissions and approvals of many breakthrough therapies and companion diagnostics. Li has been a forerunner in the areas of isolation, cryopreservation and culturing of human hepatocytes and the application of human hepatocytes to evaluate drug metabolism, drug-drug interactions and drug toxicity. According to Discovery, Li will lead the company’s future innovations in this area.
"IVAL and Discovery will now serve a much wider range of drug research and development scientists," Li said. "Both companies share the passion and commitment to providing the best products and services to help accelerate successful drug development programs. IVAL is excited to join the Discovery family and expand Discovery's innovative offerings to help researchers more rapidly advance the research and development of new therapies to treat patients around the globe more safely and effectively."
The acquisition is Discovery's ninth strategic acquisition in the past three and a half years.
