|
|
|
 |
|
 |
Cenix BioScience GmbH
Tatzberg 47
01307 Dresden
Germany |
|
TU Dresden
Pressestelle
01062 Dresden
Germany
|
|
Applied Biosystems
850 Lincoln Centre Drive
Foster City, CA 94404
U.S.A. |
Cenix BioScience, Applied Biosystems and Dresden
University
to create a New Facility for Proteomics Profiling of RNAi and Drug
Effects in Human Cells
Dresden, Germany, October 23rd, 2006
- Cenix BioScience GmbH (Dresden), Applied Biosystems (NYSE:ABI)
an Applera Corporation business, and the Biotechnology Centre (Biotec)
of the Technische Universität Dresden (TUD) today announced a
collaboration to establish a new joint facility to pioneer the
convergence of two of the most powerful research methodologies driving
pharmaceutical drug discovery today: functional genomics and proteomics.
The new facility will enable scientists from the three organizations to
develop and deliver novel research tools and methodologies that enable
more detailed and probative analyses of the cellular functions of
therapeutically-relevant genes. As such, this work promises to improve
the predictive value of early pre-clinical drug development, ultimately
reducing the risks of unwanted side effects from future medicines. A
German federal grant of 1.2 Million Euros has been issued to
support the efforts of this two-year project through the BioChance Plus
grant program.
The three partners bring complementary core competencies to the
project. Cenix BioScience is a globally recognized specialist in
advanced, cell-based applications of RNA interference (RNAi), a
breakthrough gene silencing technology for the discovery and functional
characterization of novel therapeutic target genes and drug candidates.
Applied Biosystems, a leading global provider of life sciences
technology, contributes integrated genetic and proteomic systems
technology as well as RNAi reagents. The Biotec centre of the
Technische Universität Dresden combines dynamic academic training
programs with interdisciplinary research in biotechnology.
The two-year project will stretch the limits of today’s most advanced
technologies for analyzing gene function and drug action through
cellular phenotyping, i.e. the detection and measurement of changes in
the behavior of living cells after the application of pharmaceutical
agents or other treatments that modulate gene expression. Among the
latter, RNAi-based gene knock-down has recently emerged as the most
powerful functional genomic method for harnessing the full power of the
completed Human Genome Project, using genome sequences to drive assays
of gene function and for predicting the effects of future inhibitory
drugs. Until now, the broadest, highest content phenotyping approaches
could only probe the so-called transcriptome level of gene expression,
whereby cDNA microarrays have enabled measurements of thousands of gene
transcripts simultaneously. However, in order to truly understand the
full complexity of gene function, phenotypes must be examined at the
level of the final, functional gene product: the protein. Despite the
success of high content microscopy-based assays, broad proteome-level
profiling has remained much less developed, primarily due to inherent
limitations of antibody-based approaches. The present project will seek
to overcome these limitations by developing broad, quantitative surveys
of protein levels in RNAi- and drug-treated cells using
antibody-independent, mass spectrometry-based analyses.
This initiative represents a new effort by Cenix in its continuing
mission to strengthen and broaden the discovery potential of RNAi-based
experimentation through high-resolution phenotypic analyses. Cenix will
integrate the newly developed capabilities within its leading range of
advanced RNAi-based research service programs for target discovery,
target validation and drug mode of action analyses.
“This is the natural next step in high content analysis not only for
RNAi experiments, but also for studying therapeutic drug effects and a
wide variety of other experimental strategies common to both basic and
applied research”, notes Christophe Echeverri, Ph.D., CEO/CSO of Cenix.
Technologies for the collaboration from Applied Biosystems will include
mass spectrometry systems, iTRAQ protein labeling reagents, customized
TaqMan gene expression assays, and its Ambion range of RNAi knock-down
reagents. Applied Biosystems’ contributions to the project will be
coordinated from its Science Centre Europe, located in Darmstadt,
Germany.
“Applied Biosystems has a 25-year history of collaborating with leading
researchers in academia and industry on a global basis,” said Lars
Holmkvist, Applied Biosystems president for Europe. “We are confident
that this collaboration in Europe will enable significant innovative
advances in cell biology and for marker discovery and validation in the
pharmaceutical industry.”
This collaboration is a further manifestation of the strong
industry-academic cooperation being fostered within Dresden´s
growing life science research community. The new facility will be
located within the Dresden Bio-Innovation Centre, adding further
strength to the existing Biotec research group for Proteomics now led
by Prof. Bernard Hoflack. Prof. Hoflack joined the Biotec/TUD in 2003
after holding previous positions at Washington University (St. Louis,
USA), the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (Heidelberg, Germany)
and the Pasteur Institute (Lille, France).
“We are proud to demonstrate again the pivotal role of the Biotec for
connecting scientific, social and economic interests in the Dresden
life science research community,” said Professor Hoflack. “As a
researcher focused on bone biology and osteoporosis, I welcome this
cooperation with industrial partners to help accelerate and enhance our
basic research efforts, facilitating their translation towards future
therapeutic applications.”
About Cenix BioScience GmbH
Cenix BioScience GmbH is a pioneer and leader in high throughput (HT),
genome-driven applications of RNA interference (RNAi) for the discovery
and validation of new therapeutic drug targets. Founded in 1999 as the
first biotechnology company specializing exclusively in HT-RNAi, Cenix
has accumulated unparalleled depth and breadth of experience in this
field, combining high content phenotypic analyses in a wide range of
human and rodent cells with industry-leading genome-wide siRNA
libraries. Having successfully completed major projects in basic and
applied fields including oncology, as well as cardiovascular,
metabolic, and infectious diseases, Cenix offers its unique expertise
to industry and academic researchers through research and consulting
services. Please contact Cenix or visit the company’s web site
www.cenix-bioscience.com for more information.
About Applera Corporation and Applied Biosystems
Applera Corporation consists of two operating groups. The Applied
Biosystems Group serves the life science industry and research
community by developing and marketing instrument-based systems,
consumables, software, and services. Customers use these tools to
analyze nucleic acids (DNA and RNA), small molecules, and proteins to
make scientific discoveries and develop new pharmaceuticals. Applied
Biosystems’ products also serve the needs of some markets outside of
life science research, which we refer to as “applied markets,” such as
the fields of: human identity testing (forensic and paternity testing);
biosecurity, which refers to products needed in response to the threat
of biological terrorism and other malicious, accidental, and natural
biological dangers; and quality and safety testing, for example in food
and the environment.
Applied Biosystems is headquartered in Foster
City, CA, and reported sales of over $1.9 billion during fiscal 2006.
The Celera Genomics Group is primarily a molecular diagnostics business
that is using proprietary genomics and proteomics discovery platforms
to identify and validate novel diagnostic markers, and is developing
diagnostic products based on these markers as well as other known
markers. Celera Genomics maintains a strategic alliance with Abbott
Laboratories for the development and commercialization of molecular, or
nucleic acid-based, diagnostic products, and it is also developing new
diagnostic products outside of this alliance. Through its genomics and
proteomics research efforts, Celera Genomics is also discovering and
validating therapeutic targets, and it is seeking strategic
partnerships to develop therapeutic products based on these discovered
targets. Information about Applera Corporation, including reports and
other information filed by the company with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, is available at
www.applera.com, or by telephoning 800.762.6923. Information about
Applied Biosystems is available at
www.appliedbiosystems.com.
About Technische Universität Dresden (TUD) and
the Biotechnology Centre (Biotec)
The Technische Universität Dresden (TUD) dates back to the
Technische Bildungsanstalt Dresden, founded in 1828 and, thus, ranks
among the oldest technical-academic educational establishments in
Germany. The TUD has gained its excellent reputation above all through
achievements in engineering and the natural sciences. Key aspects of
the TUD research profile are regenerative medicine and molecular
bioengineering for instance. Close contact between companies,
professors and students forms the basis for cooperation, without which
the establishment of important industries in Dresden during recent
years would hardly have been possible. The Biotechnology Centre
(Biotec) of the TUD is a unique interdisciplinary centre focusing on
research and teaching in molecular bio-engineering by integrating and
combining molecular and cellular biology with medicine, biophysics,
material science, engineering, and bioinformatics
www.biotec.tu-dresden.de.
Applied Biosystems Forward Looking Statements
Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking. These may
be identified by the use of forward-looking words or phrases such as
“should, "planned,” and "expect," among others. These forward-looking
statements are based on Applera Corporation’s current expectations. The
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a “safe
harbor” for such forward-looking statements. In order to comply with
the terms of the safe harbor, Applera Corporation notes that a variety
of factors could cause actual results and experience to differ
materially from the anticipated results or other expectations expressed
in such forward-looking statements. These factors include but are not
limited to (1) rapidly changing technology and dependence on the
development and customer acceptance of new products; (2) sales
dependent on customers’ capital spending policies and
government-sponsored research; and (3) other factors that might be
described from time to time in Applera Corporation's filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission. All information in this press
release is as of the date of the release, and Applera does not
undertake any duty to update this information, including any
forward-looking statements, unless required by law.
For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.
Cenix and the Cenix BioScience logo are registered trademarks of Cenix
BioScience GmbH in the US and other countries.
Applied Biosystems, Applera and AB (design) are registered trademarks
and iTRAQ is a trademark of Applera Corporation or its subsidiaries in
the US and/or certain other countries. © Copyright 2006 Applera
Corporation. All rights reserved.
TaqMan is a registered trademark of Roche
Molecular Systems Inc.
|
