ADME DMPK Services
Removing road blocks
to candidate selection
We are an experienced DMPK team taking projects from early stage to candidate selection and beyond using a wide range of in vitro ADME assays, metabolite identification and ex vivo bioanalysis. Tailored support is applied to every project to reflect current needs and we adapt to suit collaborator requirements. We work closely with other teams, sharing our skillset and furthering our combined knowledge.
De-risking your candidate, stage by stage
Our DMPK services provide comprehensive in vitro ADME profiling, metabolite identification and in vivo studies to support every stage of the discovery process.
In Vitro ADME
A broad panel of in vitro ADME assays covering solubility, permeability, metabolism and protein binding to guide compound design and prioritisation.
- Kinetic solubility, PAMPA and phototoxicity screening
- CYP450 interaction investigation by competitive and time dependent inhibition, and isoform profiling
- Metabolic stability: microsomal P450 / UGT clearance assays and hepatocyte clearance
- Protein binding assessment in plasma, microsomes and tissues by equilibrium dialysis
- Cellular penetration by LC-MS/MS
Permeability & Transport
Comprehensive permeability and transport assessments to understand compound absorption, distribution and efflux properties.
- Caco-2 bidirectional permeability assays, plus and minus efflux inhibitors
- MDCK +/- MDR1 permeability assay and BCRP transporters
Metabolite Identification
Met ID studies characterise the metabolic fate of compounds, identifying liabilities and informing structural optimisation to improve stability.
- Metabolite identification (Met ID) in microsomes and hepatocytes
- Glutathione conjugation to identify reactive metabolite formation
In vivo DMPK
Full support for in vivo studies, from study design through to pharmacokinetic evaluation and PK/PD reporting.
- Bioanalysis of plasma, tissues and other biofluids from in vivo studies
- Pharmacokinetic evaluation and comprehensive result reporting
- Plasma and tissue biomarkers for PK/PD assessment
Integrated Drug Discovery
Turning discovery potential into clinical promise
Our DMPK team delivers the absorption, distribution, metabolism and pharmacokinetic insight your programme needs — de-risking compound progression from early hit assessment through to candidate selection.
Biology Foundations
Structure & Hit ID
DEL Services
Chemistry & Data
Preclinical Readiness
Why work with us
De-risking compounds before they reach the clinic
Our DMPK team takes a tailored approach — adapting assay selection and study design to the specific needs of each project. From early kinetic solubility and microsomal clearance through to full in vivo bioanalysis and PK/PD reporting, we provide the ADME intelligence needed to drive confident candidate selection decisions.
Meet the ADME/DMPK team:
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Zoe Daniels
Senior Team Leader, DMPK, SPR and ITC
Zoe Daniels
Senior Team Leader, DMPK, SPR and ITC
Zoe Daniels joined Vernalis in 2005 through the company’s acquisition of Ionix Pharmaceuticals. Prior to that she spent several years at GSK working in ion channel drug discovery. During her time at Vernalis she has worked in several teams including assay technology, DMPK and currently SPR, gaining a wide range of technical skills in these areas. She has also been a project manager for one of the Bcl-2 family targets, working alongside our Servier collaborators and currently manages a team of DMPK, SPR, ITC and cell culture specialists.
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Helen Cobb
Associate Principal Scientist, DMPK
Helen Cobb
Associate Principal Scientist, DMPK
Helen Cobb joined Vernalis in 2008 after several years working in DMPK at UCB. Helen has over 20 years industry experience and is adept at in vitro DMPK assays, bioanalysis and metabolite identification. Her career highlight was PK/PD bioanalysis for a FAAH inhibition project by monitoring multiple biomarkers in plasma and tissues, culminating in processing phase I clinical data. Helen enjoys applying her technical skills to different disciplines to advance project progression eg in vitro cellular penetration. A recent focus on bacterial uptake has started a new interest but DMPK remains her main focus.
ADME/DMPK Case Studies
Explore how our DMPK expertise has removed key liabilities and delivered the ADME data needed to progress compounds towards candidate selection.
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Hsp90 oral backup pre-clinical candidate
Fragment-based and in silico hits were combined into a novel series of Hsp90 inhibitors, delivering tumour growth regression on oral dosing in a BT474 xenograft model.
Outcome Oral pre-clinical candidate — the follow-on to the intravenous phase II compound. -
DYRK1A and DYRK1B selective inhibitors
A Vernalis and Servier NMR fragment screen delivered two series of potent, selective DYRK1A inhibitors, including the brain-penetrant tool compound 34.
Outcome Two optimised inhibitor series and a selective, brain-penetrant tool compound.
De-risk your programme before the clinic
We’d love to hear from you! Head to our contact page to get started.