Magnitude Biosciences and BioAscent are pleased to announce a new research collaboration that will combine Magnitude Biosciences’ VivoScan™ C. elegans whole organism screening platform with BioAscent’s richly annotated Chemogenomics Library to generate high quality phenotypic datasets.

VivoScan™ enables rapid, scalable, and quantitative assessment of compound effects on endpoints like longevity and mobility in a genetically tractable and evolutionarily conserved whole organism model, C. elegans. By capturing integrated physiological responses across tissues and pathways, the platform allows researchers to detect both subtle and system level phenotypes that are often missed in simplified cell-based systems and provides early insights into compound activity in a complex biological model organism.

At the centre of this collaboration is BioAscent’s 1,600 compound Chemogenomics Library; a uniquely curated, deeply annotated set of selective pharmacological probes assembled to help researchers understand the mechanisms underlying phenotypic responses in complex biological systems. The library spans key target classes including kinase inhibitors, GPCR ligands, and epigenetic modulators, supported by extensive, high-quality pharmacology and selectivity data.

BioAscent is further expanding these annotations through internal profiling campaigns across multiple assay platforms, generating proprietary experimental datasets that complement literature-derived information. Screening this enhanced library using VivoScan™ will allow both partners to correlate activity patterns across model systems, gain mechanistic insights into disease-relevant pathways, and strengthen the translational value of early-stage discovery projects.

“This collaboration highlights the power of whole-organism screening as a complement to traditional drug discovery approaches,” said Dr Chris Saunter, Director of Magnitude Biosciences. “By combining BioAscent’s Chemogenomics library with VivoScan™’s ability to run large-scale screens in a model of healthy aging, we can apply well-annotated, mechanism-informed compounds directly in a physiologically relevant system. This enables the rapid identification of meaningful biological effects and insights that go well beyond what can be learned from in vitro models alone.”

“By providing access to high-quality, curated library collections backed by robust experimental annotation, BioAscent enables researchers to explore biology with far greater confidence and resolution” says Stuart McElroy, Director of Biosciences at BioAscent. “This collaboration with Magnitude Biosciences helps us deepen our understanding of compound behaviour in a whole organism context and further strengthens the quality of data available to our clients as they progress their drug discovery programmes.”

The collaboration will generate detailed phenotypic datasets focused on functional activity, potential toxicity liabilities, and ageing-related effects in C. elegans, supporting more informed and timely decision-making across early drug discovery.