INDIGO Biosciences Reduces the Time and Cost of Drug Discovery

INDIGO Biosciences, Inc., founded in 2005 in State College by Dr. Jack Vanden Heuvel and Dr. Blake Peterson, is a biosciences company focused on nuclear receptors, which make up a major class of therapeutic drug targets. The company has the largest global portfolio of nuclear receptor (NR) assay kits and related screening services.

INDIGO Biosciences’ original focus was to provide custom services for the screening of small molecule compounds against functional human and non-human nuclear receptors.

Over the years, the company has demonstrated success in providing quality screening services to clients within the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, food, agriculture, and nutriceutical industries, government research agencies, as well as to academic researchers.

In 2008, the company’s mission changed dramatically upon the development of a unique processing method to cryo-preserve its nuclear receptor reporter cells. This proprietary process, called CryoMite™, provides long-term cryo-preservation of cells for shipping and storage, providing users the convenience of readily available robust cell-based reporter assays for on-demand use.

Nuclear receptor assays are crucial for the efficient investigation of the interaction between pharmaceutical compounds and receptors in the nucleus of biological cells. These investigations are driven by drug discovery, drug development, and toxicology research projects. Nuclear receptors are targeted by approximately 40% of current prescription drugs.

By enabling a fail-fast approach in the earliest, pre-clinical phase of drug development, INDIGO’s products and services can save a biopharmaceutical company hundreds of millions of dollars and years of time that are often attributable to potential poor on-target performance and unanticipated off-target behaviors.

The company announced the completion of a $500,000 Series B financing round in June. The Life Sciences Greenhouse of Central Pennsylvania (LSGPA) and AGSM, a private equity investment firm from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania led this financing round.

This latest financing will be used to accelerate growth through new product development, continued development of a European strategy, and the expansion of domestic sales capabilities. This Series B financing is part of an overall goal to raise $1.5 million in investments.