One of the major challenges to oncology based drug discovery and development has been the limited or incremental impact that many targeted agents have exhibited in the clinic. Understanding and overcoming tumor heterogeneity as well as inherent or emerging resistance are areas of significant ongoing research in both clinical and preclinical settings. Systematic approaches to support combination therapy clinical trial design are critical. Zalicus Inc. and Life Technologies have collaborated to develop a joint service offering that supports rationale design of cell line panels to inform and address the relevant genomic aberrations in disease subsequently enabling the identification of (1) potentially synergistic therapy combinations, (2) biomarkers of synergy, and (3) identification of potential clinical populations for hypothesis testing. During this segment, Dr. Bowden will discuss technical aspects of combination screening and biomarker discovery, major considerations required for success, provide examples of results, and offer potential impacts of this innovative service offering.