Nimbus changes name to Sovicell and launches new website

Becoming a full range supplier of ADME-Tox products and services

Leipzig, Germany; 11th March 2008 – Nimbus Biotechnologie, the trusted supplier of ADME-Tox products and services, has announced that it has changed its name to Sovicell GmbH, effective immediately. At the same time the Company has launched a new website at www.sovicell.com. The name change reflects the Company’s move to become a full range, international supplier of ADME-Tox products and services for pre-clinical research. It is also a reflection of the growth in the business in the last year under a new more internationally focused management team.

Commenting on the name change Dr Hinnerk Boriss, CEO said:
“This name change supports our Company’s commercial development and more accurately reflects our new positioning. We are continually enhancing our ADME-Tox product portfolio and services to meet our pharmaceutical and biotechnology customers’ needs and look forward to continuing to work with our supportive existing partners as well as expanding our client base internationally.”

Since its foundation in 1994, Sovicell (formerly Nimbus) has successfully developed and commercialised its proprietary TRANSIL® bead-based in vitro testing procedures for reliably measuring a drug candidate’s membrane permeability and protein binding. Such testing can enable early and accurate prediction of the efficacy and safety of drug candidates and prevent costly failures in clinical trials. Last year the Company began enhancing the portfolio and now provides cryopreserved hepatocytes exclusively for Cytonet.

In addition, since 2007 Sovicell (formerly Nimbus) has been offering a blood-to-brain adsorption kit which is based on natural biological membranes and is valuable in the development of CNS drugs. This is the only product of its kind available on the market. Further new products are to follow shortly.

To further facilitate the continued expansion of Sovicell’s business, the Company recently moved to new state-of-the–art premises in Leipzig’s BioCity: Deutscher Platz 5b, 04103 Leipzig Germany.

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About Sovicell:

Sovicell, which changed its name from Nimbus Biotechnologie in February 2008, is dedicated to providing trusted state-of-the-art ADMET (Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion and Toxicology) products and services that enable its customers to rapidly obtain accurate and reproducible pharmacokinetic data about their drug candidates or other test substances.

The TRANSIL technology platform, which is a novel bead based system, underpins the Company’s reliable membrane permeability and protein binding assays. While SOVICYTE cell lines, with their in vivo-relevant metabolic properties, form the core of Sovicell’s drug metabolism and cytotoxicity assays. Sovicell has proved a trustworthy partner to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries over the past ten years. Located in Leipzig, Germany, the company employs 14 people and is co-financed by several renowned Venture Capital firms.

TRANSIL® and SOVICYTE® are registered trademarks of Sovicell GmbH.

Further information can be found at: www.sovicell.com 

Contacts:

Dr Hinnerk Boriss, CEO
Sovicell GmbH
t: +49 (0)341 520 440
e: info@sovicell.com 

Dr Robert Mayer, Account Manager
College Hill Life Sciences
t: +49 (0)89 5238 8030
e: robert.mayer@collegehill.com

Notes for editors:

About TRANSIL:

Sovicell’s patented TRANSIL technology derives its name from transition silica and refers to proprietary surface modified porous silica beads which serve as a carrier material for biological molecules or structures such proteins, enzymes and membranes. The beads have applications in protein binding assays (TRANSIL Albumin binding kits or TRANSIL AGP Binding kits) and membrane permeability assays (TRANSIL Intestinal Absorption kit or TRANSIL blood-brain Absorption kit). The TRANSIL products offer customer’s a number of advantages:

· Rapid – 2 minute incubation

· Ready to use format

· Easy to use

· Highly reproducible

· Accurately mimics in vivo physiology

· Suitable for high throughput