Electrochemiluminescent assay instruments offer increased sensitivity and productivity KING OF PRUSSIA, PA, June 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- MDS Pharma Services, a leading provider of innovative drug discovery and development solutions, now offers its bioanalysis clients the benefits of electrochemiluminescent assay (ECLA) testing, with the recent installation and validation of two state-of-the-art instruments at its laboratory in Montreal. In many situations, ECLA test methodology provides greater sensitivity and flexibility than standard radioimmunoassays or ELISA techniques for quantitative pharmacokinetic and immunogenicity testing of biological samples from clinical research participants. These advantages are particularly important in research involving biologics such as monoclonal antibodies because traditional methodologies may not be capable of detecting anti-drug antibodies in the presence of circulating drug. Biologic drugs are made using living cells rather than chemicals and therefore have the potential to trigger a potentially harmful immune response. "With the growing focus on biologic drugs, including biologic generics, the need to detect immune responses during clinical research becomes increasingly important," said MDS Pharma Services President David Spaight. "That's why MDS Pharma Services has added ECLA testing to our bioanalytical testing repertoire of ligand binding and cell-based assays." MDS Pharma Services is developing ECLA assays for bone and metabolic biomarkers to leverage the instruments' multiplexing capabilities, which allow for measurement of multiple analytes or markers in a single test sample. This multiplexing ability offers clients increased productivity in keeping with MDS Pharma Services' brand promise to deliver high-quality results on time. To accelerate client access to the benefits of ECLA methodology, MDS Pharma Services fast-tracked the validation of the two instruments and associated software, redeploying resources to complete the validation process. The instruments and software meet all applicable regulatory requirements, including 21 CFR Part 11. About MDS Pharma Services MDS Pharma Services is committed to delivering quality service on-time. We offer a full spectrum of resources to meet the drug discovery and development needs of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. With numerous facilities strategically located around the world, we apply advanced scientific and technological expertise throughout the drug discovery and development process - from lead optimization, pre-IND research, early clinical research (bioequivalence, phases I-IIa) and bioanalysis through to global clinical development (phases IIb-IV), central lab and centralized cardiac services. For more information, visit our website at http://www.mdsps.com/. MDS Pharma Services is a business unit of MDS Inc. (TSX: MDS; NYSE: MDZ), a global life sciences company that provides market-leading products and services that our customers need for the development of drugs and diagnosis and treatment of disease. We are a leading global provider of pharmaceutical contract research, medical isotopes for molecular imaging, radiotherapeutics, and analytical instruments. MDS has more than 5,500 highly skilled people in 28 countries. Find out more at http://www.mdsinc.com/ or by calling 1-888-MDS-7222, 24 hours a day. DATASOURCE: MDS Pharma Services CONTACT: For Investors, Kim Lee, (416) 213-4721, ; For Media, Charlene McGrady, (610) 239-7900 ext. 231,

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