MilliporeSigma Partners with Promega to Advance 3D Cell Culture Drug Discovery Technologies
核心洞察
MilliporeSigma (搜索) has entered into a strategic partnership with Promega Corporation (搜索) to co-develop novel technologies that advance drug screening and discovery using three-dimensional cell cultures.
The collaboration combines MilliporeSigma (搜索)'s organoid expertise and synthetic chemistry with Promega's market-leading assay and reporter technologies to create physiologically relevant disease models.
The partnership aims to enable high-throughput screening for safer and more effective drug candidates, particularly for complex diseases such as cancer, using real-time cellular activity tracking.
MilliporeSigma (搜索), the U.S. and Canada Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, has entered into a strategic partnership with Promega Corporation (搜索) to co-develop novel technologies that advance drug screening and discovery. The collaboration announced on October 28, 2025, unites MilliporeSigma's strength in organoids and synthetic chemistry with Promega's market-leading assay and reporter technologies.
Advanced 3D Cell Culture Technology
The partnership aims to develop assays capable of tracking cellular activity in real time using an innovative reporter system within three-dimensional (3D) cell cultures. These 3D cell cultures, also called organoids, mimic human biology and provide a physiologically more relevant testing environment compared to traditional two-dimensional (2D) models.
"This partnership with Promega shows what is possible when two companies with a shared commitment to science join forces," said Anand Nambiar, Head of Science & Lab Solutions for the Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. "By combining our organoid expertise with Promega's advanced reporter technology, we aim to enable high throughput screening that helps researchers identify safer and more effective drug candidates for complex diseases such as cancer—and do it faster than ever before."
Enhanced Drug Discovery Capabilities
The collaboration focuses on improving researcher access to disease-relevant cell models that better represent human physiology. Tom Livelli, VP, Life Sciences Products & Services at Promega Corporation (搜索), emphasized the partnership's potential impact: "Collaborating with MilliporeSigma (搜索) allows us to push the boundaries of drug discovery. By combining our technological strengths, we are helping to create more relevant and accessible models for drug discovery, with the goal of enabling new insights and eventually better outcomes for patients."
Protein Interaction Studies
In addition to the primary co-development agreement, MilliporeSigma (搜索) and Promega have signed a separate agreement to explore the integration of MilliporeSigma's Duolink (搜索)® technology with Promega's HiBiT (搜索) technologies. This integration aims to create new workflows for studying protein interactions inside cells, providing researchers with deeper insights into cellular signaling and supporting applications in both biologics and small molecule drug discovery.
Strategic Positioning in Next-Generation Biology
The partnership represents one of the latest steps MilliporeSigma (搜索) is taking to strengthen its leadership in next-generation biology. In December 2024, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany acquired HUB Organoids B.V. (搜索), a pioneer in organoid technology, which expanded the company's capabilities in 3D cell culture and enhanced its portfolio with foundational patents, advanced model generation, and high-throughput screening services.
These strategic moves position MilliporeSigma (搜索) as a leader in providing researchers with the tools needed to bridge the gap between laboratory discoveries and clinical success. The Life Science business of Merck KGaA operates with more than 26,000 employees and more than 55 manufacturing and testing sites worldwide, maintaining a portfolio of more than 300,000 products focused on scientific discovery, biomanufacturing and testing services.
Promega Corporation (搜索) brings to the partnership its portfolio of over 4,000 products supporting life science work across cell biology, DNA, RNA and protein analysis, drug development, human identification and molecular diagnostics. The company, headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, has branches in 16 countries and over 50 global distributors, serving scientists and technicians in academic and government research, forensics, pharmaceuticals, clinical diagnostics and agricultural and environmental testing for 45 years.