Shimadzu Diagnostics and MyCan Technologies intend to jointly market in Japan and Europe a test kit for drug safety testing using human cells .

The test aims to replace the febrile substance testing currently conducted on rabbits and horseshoe crabs with human cells. It uses immortalized myeloid cells (Mylc cells) developed by MyCan and named the MylcMAT test, which detects cytokines and other substances released by Mylc cells. As it uses human cells, it is easier to reproduce the human response than by the rabbit RPT or horseshoe crab LAL test. The kit will be combined with an ELISA kit.

The MylcMAT test has been included in the European Pharmacopoeia and will be available from April 2023. In Europe, the test for feverish substances in rabbits is scheduled to be discontinued in 2025.

Currently, there are two types of MAT testing: one using monocytes collected from human blood (PBMC) and the other using cell lines (PyroMAT). MycMAT is superior to PyroMAT because it does not use animal-derived ingredients and has overwhelmingly higher sensitivity.

In addition, the two companies intend to collaborate in the joint development of PCR testing equipment and reagents for testing using mass spectrometers.