Feb 14/PRNewswire/ -- Scimagix Launches 2D-Gel Analysis and Mining Application For Proteomics Research
First SIMS-Based Application for Visual Searching
REDWOOD SHORES, Calif., Feb. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Scimagix(TM) Inc., the leading provider of image informatics solutions for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, today introduced its ProteinMine(TM) 2D-gel analysis and mining application. Developed from the company's proprietary visual characterization and retrieval technology, this is the first commercial software application designed to search 2-dimensional electrophoresis (2D) gels according to visual criteria -- intensity, size, shape and location of protein spots.
The software is the first application for use in conjunction with SIMS(TM) -- the Scientific Image Management System, a data management system designed to store, search and retrieve all types of images generated in drug discovery research and development.
High-throughput Gel Searching
Designed specifically for analysis and mining of 2D gels, ProteinMine will enable high-throughput searching of thousands of gels to find the selected combination of protein patterns and differentially expressed proteins. Although 2D gels are generally the first step in proteomics research, researchers previously were limited to ``gel gazing'' or visual comparison of protein patterns across a few gels. Now, with SIMS and ProteinMine, researchers can access data using a Web-browser and store, analyze, search and mine information across any number of 2D gels -- and integrate these results with other experimental data.
``Searching 2D gels according to visual content has never been done before,'' said Robert Dunkle, president and CEO of Scimagix. ``With our software system, researchers can identify and select a particular protein pattern and ask -- 'Where have I seen this pattern before?'''
Scimagix developed ProteinMine through an alliance with Pfizer Global R&D (formerly Parke-Davis), which now uses the 2D-gel application software with SIMS. With its advanced search capabilities, a pharmaceutical company may save millions of dollars and time whenever it is able to recognize an expression pattern known to be indicative of toxicity. It can terminate early the development of a compound with that pattern, or identify a desired treatment effect and progress a compound toward further development.
Armed with the capability to conduct routine searches for protein patterns over hund reds or thousands of gel images stored in the SIMS database, researchers can rapidly evaluate the effects compounds have on protein expression. They can look broadly at these effects, for example, by combining 2D-gel data with associated gene expression data or tissue localization data.
Scimagix is building on the SIMS infrastructure to create a unique and open system to correlate protein expression data with other experimental data. The open architecture of SIMS allows for integration of 2D gel and other images with other applications and non-image data. Such integration can include other 2D-gel software packages and other protein, chemical structure or biological results databases. Thus, researchers can readily place protein expression data within the context of the protocol used, related outcomes and other factors to look for indications of cause and effect. This powerful capability extends 2D-gel experiments more directly into a broader understanding of functional genomics and associated disease processes.
About SIMS
SIMS is the first data management system designed to manage and mine images that are generated in drug discovery research and development. The Oracle®/Web-based software system creates the basis for enterprise-wide image management, enabling researchers to search a comprehensive archive of image data, retrieve sets of images from diverse experiments with similar protocols or biological results, and identify correlations between images and functional data.
Building on this infrastructure, Scimagix is applying its core Visual Information Retrieval (VIR) technology to develop in-depth analysis and mining applications for integration into the SIMS platform. Applications are customized for each image type to enable advanced extraction and mining of visual content.
The first application in a family of applications, ProteinMine for 2D-gel analysis and mining, is now commercially available. Scimagix's next application module will apply visual search technology to cellular assays and tissues.
About Scimagix Inc.
Scimagix(TM) Inc., based in Redwood Shores, Calif., is a leading provider of image informatics solutions for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Its SIMS(TM), Scientific Image Management System, and ProteinMine(TM), the 2D-gel analysis and mining application, are the first in a new class of image retrieval, analysis and mining software that allows researchers to derive added value from images. Scimagix has five of the top fifteen pharmaceutical companies using its products. Unlocking the value of scientific images, image informatics promises to become an essential and pervasive technology for gain ing new insights and direction for discovery research and development.
SOURCE: Scimagix Inc. |
