Oct. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- AxCell Biosciences Corporation, a subsidiary of Cytogen Corporation (Nasdaq: CYTO - news) and Molecular Staging, Inc., (MSI), Guilford, CT, initiated a scientific plan to investigate potential synergies between their technologies to map protein pathways more rapidly and efficiently. MSI's Rolling Circle Amplification Technology (RCAT(TM)) is a proprietary, highly sensitive and efficient amplification method for detecting the presence of target molecules micro-arrayed on a biochip. By combining AxCell's domain-ligand interaction technology with MSI's protein arrays, the two companies believe that they may be able to increase the rate of protein interaction measurements by 10 fold more than AxCell's current rate of approximately 10,000 interactions per day.
``By amplifying the signals used to detect protein interactions, we plan to measure many different targets simultaneously on a biochip,'' explained John D. Rodwell, Ph.D., AxCell's acting President and Chief Technical Officer. ``The purpose of our joint effort is to evaluate the use of RCAT(TM) technology with the same signaling molecules used in AxCell's interaction measurements. Although our current proprietary process for measuring protein-to-protein interactions continues to function successfully at planned commercial scale, this combined technique could allow us to use less material and to operate more efficiently using readily available equipment. Potential benefits of combining these automatable technologies include, ultra-high throughput affinity mapping and application of chip-based target arrays to protein expression.''
Ultra-sensitive PSA assay demonstrates promise
As part of a separate ongoing collaboration between Cytogen and MSI, the companies today also announced that they have achieved their first milestone - proof of principle for an ultra-sensitive serum assay for prostate specific antigen (PSA), a widely used marker for the screening and detection of prostate cancer. Results using a panel of five antibodies to PSA indicate that the new RCAT-based assay has a sensitivity of more than 100 fold greater than existing commercial blood tests. Cytogen believes that an ultra- sensitive assay might lead to earlier detection of recurrent prostate cancer. The next step is the selection of one antibody for commercial development. The companies are also in the process of applying RCAT technology to establish proof of principle for an ultra-sensitive assay for prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA), which Cytogen believes may have greater prognostic value than the PSA test alone.
This week, Cytogen and Molecular Staging are scheduled to make separate presentations at the UBS Warburg Global Life Sciences Conference in New York City, where more scientific details of an ultra-sensitive PSA test will be discussed.
AxCell profile
AxCell Biosciences Corporation has begun a two-to-four year project to develop a comprehensive, proprietary database of human protein signaling pathways as a tool for identifying new drug targets. Aberrations in the interactions of proteins with one another are at the heart of the molecular basis for many diseases. Structural proteomics, or protein expression, measures the number and types of proteins present in normal and diseased cells. This approach is useful in defining the structure of proteins in a cell. Some of these proteins may be targets for drug discovery. However, the role of proteins in disease states remains to be defined. AxCell's proteomics business is focused upon functional proteomics, the study of proteins' biological activities. An important function of proteins is the transmission of signals using intricate pathways populated by proteins which interact with one another. Elucidating the role proteins play in these signaling pathways allows a better understanding of their function in cellular behavior and permits identification of potentially novel drug targets. Protein-protein interactions form the core of the Company's Inter-functional Proteomic Database(TM) (IFP). AxCell is offering the IFP Database to the pharmaceutical industry as a tool to accelerate the drug discovery process. AxCell Biosciences has agreed to enter into a collaboration with the Institute for Systems Biology to elucidate aberrations in protein signaling pathways underlying the metastatic spread of prostate cancer. For additional information on AxCell Biosciences, visit www.axcellbio.com.
Molecular Staging Profile
Molecular Staging Inc., is a privately held biotechnology company developing improved diagnostic tests for a variety of diseases and advanced tools for genetic analysis. MSI's core technology, Rolling Circle Amplification Technology, is a highly sensitive and efficient nucleic acid amplification technique that can be used to better detect, diagnose, and stage disease. Its technologies enable the rapid identification of molecular abnormalities affecting genes, proteins, and small molecules. Information on MSI and its products is available from its web site at www.molecularstaging.com....
Molecular Staging is another of the unquoted stocks in the 3i bioscience portfolio (FWIW)
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