Thermo Fisher Scientific has launched the Invitrogen TaqMan Cells to CT HepatoExpress Kit, a new solution designed to simplify and accelerate gene expression analysis in liver cells while removing the need for RNA purification. The kit allows researchers to analyse hepatocyte gene expression directly from cell lysates, delivering faster and more efficient insights into how potential drug candidates are metabolised by the liver.

The streamlined workflow enables scientists to go from sample to answer in just seventy five minutes, compared with two to three hours required by traditional RNA extraction and purification based workflows. By eliminating extraction steps without compromising data quality, the kit supports earlier and more reliable assessment of liver metabolism, a critical factor in determining drug safety and viability.

Understanding how a drug is absorbed, distributed, metabolised and eliminated by the body remains a central challenge in pharmaceutical development. These processes, commonly known as ADME or drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics, shape whether a compound can safely progress through the development pipeline. The HepatoExpress Kit has been designed specifically for these workflows, giving scientists the ability to screen compounds earlier and at greater scale.

The new solution becomes the latest addition to Thermo Fisher’s Invitrogen Cells to CT product line, which allows reverse transcription and quantitative PCR analysis to be performed directly from cell lysates. By removing the need for RNA purification prior to amplification, laboratories gain a more efficient and reliable path from biological sample to actionable gene expression data.

Parita Ghia, senior director and general manager of genomics sample preparation at Thermo Fisher Scientific, said the launch reflects the industry need to shift key metabolism studies earlier into the discovery cycle.
“Within the biopharma industry, there is a need to incorporate drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics studies earlier in the drug discovery process to screen more compounds faster,” said Ghia. “Our Cells to CT HepatoExpress Kit is designed with reduced plastic components to support labs in advancing their sustainability goals while maintaining quality and delivering a streamlined workflow. We are proud to enable our customers to accelerate early stage drug discovery research, ultimately helping the most effective drug treatments reach patients faster.”

The kit is aimed at biotech, biopharma and pharmaceutical scientists conducting gene expression studies in early stage drug discovery programmes, particularly those focused on liver metabolism and toxicology. It delivers sensitivity levels comparable to traditional RNA purification workflows while significantly reducing laboratory burden.

In addition to time savings, the HepatoExpress Kit supports sustainability targets through a ninety point five percent reduction in plastic waste compared with conventional column based RNA purification methods. This aligns with growing industry efforts to reduce the environmental footprint of laboratory operations without sacrificing data quality or performance.

By enabling faster, cleaner and more scalable liver based gene expression analysis, Thermo Fisher’s new Cells to CT HepatoExpress Kit positions itself as a practical tool for accelerating safer and more effective medicines from discovery to development.