Screening with stem cells

With the enormous number of therapeutic candidates emerging from genomic sequencing, physiologically relevant assays for gene and compound function may be the key to drug discovery. The closer a screen is to human biology or a disease process, the sooner a compound that emerges from that screen will be validated for further development.

Osiris Therapeutics Inc. was to announce this week the development of a functional genomics screening system based on mesenchymal stem cells, which give rise to musculoskeletal and connective tissues...