Simulations Plus, Inc. (Nasdaq:SLP), a leading provider of simulation and modeling software for pharmaceutical discovery and development, announced today that it has signed a Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) with the Division of the National Toxicology Program (DNTP) of the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) to provide licenses for its GastroPlus™, ADMET Predictor™, and MedChem Studio™ software programs for use by the DNTP/NIEHS. The DNTP within the NIEHS is conducting research along with several agencies, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Army, the National Human Genome Institute, and the Centers for Disease Control in the National Toxicology Project.

John DiBella, vice president of marketing and sales for Simulations Plus, said: “With many tens of thousands of potentially toxic compounds, and certain single toxicity experiments requiring up to two years to conduct at considerable expense, it is not possible to test every compound for every possible toxic effect. As a result, only a small percent have been tested for each kind of toxicity. However, using the data gained from these experiments, predictive models can be built in ADMET Predictor and then applied to assess the likely toxicity of the compounds that have not yet been tested, significantly streamlining the effort. Combining these predictions with the physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling in GastroPlus will enable researchers to estimate concentrations in various tissues, as well as the results of environmental exposures, helping prioritize testing in the lab.”

Walt Woltosz, chairman and chief executive officer of Simulations Plus, added: “Similar to our five-year renewable agreement with the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, where we collaborate with agency scientists to model and prioritize food additives and contaminants for experimental work, this collaboration will also result in focusing scarce experimental resources where the need is greatest. We are pleased to be a part of this important effort and look forward to working with the NIEHS to reduce environmental hazards to the public. Moreover, this project speaks powerfully to the core value proposition of Simulations Plus as well as the refinement of our product offerings that we expect will help us to continue expanding into new markets focused on toxicology research, including industrial chemicals, agrochemicals, and consumer goods companies. Our solutions enable researchers to use proven software models to prioritize efforts, focusing on the most likely candidates, driving efficiency throughout the industry.”