At Oria, we introduce a revolutionary technology that empowers drug discovery platforms to conduct high-frequency screening (HTS) on organelles (lysosomes, mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum…). Our innovation involves the development of a fluidic process capable of purifying (extracting and sorting) up to 1 million organelles per hour. These whole organelles, retaining their native proteins, integrate with pharmaceutical high throughput screening instruments and automated patch clamp, paving the way for new Hit-To-Lead and Lead optimization tests. Oria provides to pharmaceutical laboratories and CROs a new powerful tool for their platforms engaged in drug discovery, offering efficiency and compatibility crucial for successful organellar screening processes.
In comparison to traditional extraction methods, such as extraction kits using detergents and centrifugation, Oria's technology stands out. While extraction kits often resort to the use of detergents imparing organelle quality, our method ensures the preservation of viable organelles in large volumes. Another extraction method consists in manually extracting organelles, one by one. This method limits researchers to one organelle per hour. Oria's innovation offers a remarkable leap in efficiency, allowing high-throughput screening without compromising organelles integrity.
This groundbreaking technology originates from the doctoral thesis of Alexandre SANTINHO, conducted under the supervision of Abdou-Rachid THIAM, research director at CNRS (National Center for Scientific Research). Hosted at the École Normale Supérieure (ENS) Paris, and under the scope of the CNRS, these years of research led to the creation of a highly efficient and patented microfluidic process associated with physico-chemical knowledge of lipidic membranes. This three-time patented innovation has been exploited by Alexandre since 2021, and an exclusive licence is being signed.
By offering organelles optimized for high-frequency screening with native protein content, our innovation caters to the needs of pharmaceutical laboratories engaged in drug discovery. The compatibility of our extracted organelles with existing screening instruments, initially designed for cell-based assays, can transform laboratory automation with cutting-edge organelle screening methodologies.
