Caliper Life Sciences issued $1.1m EPA task order

Caliper Life Sciences has been issued a $1.1 million (£599,000) task order from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to test the potential effects of chemical compounds on the environment, it has been announced.

The order is part of a five-year contract Caliper was awarded by the EPA in April 2007 as part of its ToxCast programme.

Under the deal, Caliper will provide up to $69 million worth of chemical screening services, although the actual value of the work it completes is subject to demand for testing from the EPA, as well as levels of government funding for the ToxCast initiative.

ToxCast is a partnership scheme that aims to develop new approaches for identifying chemical compounds such as pesticides that could be harmful to people, animals or the environment.

For the latest task order, Caliper will use vitro biochemical assays to forecast how particular chemicals will interact with the environment. A total of 320 compounds will be tested.

The company’s executive vice-president of discovery sciences David Manyak PhD said: "This follow-up screening is an important step in the progress of the ToxCast programme."

Caliper’s other partners and customers include Norvartis, GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca.