Packard BioScience Actively Pursues Protein Array Market With Launch of HydroGel(TM) Coated Slides
MERIDEN, Conn., Sept. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Packard BioScience Company (Nasdaq: PBSC - news) today announced the launch of HydroGel(TM) coated slides for protein microarray applications. The introduction of this platform expands Packard's product offerings in the microarray field and represents the Company's first product dedicated to the creation of protein arrays. Slides coated with the HydroGel(TM) substrate will be on display at the Protein Microarray Technology Conference in Berlin, Germany on September 27 and 28. A poster presentation will also be on site demonstrating the results of collaboration with an early access partner and HydroGel's applicability to a critical mainstream application.
HydroGel coated slides are based on a 3-dimensional polyacrylamide gel technology, offering a unique environment on which proteins can be immobilized enabling a variety of different assays. The slides complement Packard's existing, patent-protected line of SpotArray(TM) microarray printers and ScanArray® microarray analysis systems, and they are already in use at several customer sites including Oxford GlycoSciences plc.
``Slides coated with Packard's HydroGel substrate embody a substantial technology advance in the emerging field of protein microarrays,'' said Dr. Jocelyn Burke, Vice President and General Manager of Packard BioChip Technologies, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Packard BioScience Company. ``Their commercial availability marks a major milestone for Packard and enables us to offer one of the most complete solutions for protein microarray applications available from a single company.''
Substrate choice is a major consideration for researchers conducting protein microarray experiments, such as antibody screening, protein-protein interaction studies, protein expression profiling and immunoassays. In contrast to nucleic acids, proteins are especially sensitive and prone to inactivation by their environments, such as the glass and plastic surfaces on which they can be printed. Such inactivation can impair the structure and functionality of a protein, making research problematic. Aware of these pitfalls, Packard formulated and manufactured its HydroGel substrate for use in protein microarray applications. Protein printed onto the HydroGel substrate is captured within the substrate's 3-dimensional structure and is accessible for binding reactions and suitable for a variety of assays.
Packard BioScience Company is a global developer, manufacturer and marketer of instruments and related consumables and services for use in drug discovery and other life sciences research, such as basic human disease research, genetic analysis and biotechnology. The Company is primarily focused on the rapidly-growing areas of drug screening, functional genomics and proteomics. The Company's primary products include automated liquid handling and sample preparation systems, microwell plate readers and plate imaging systems, drug screening and detection reagents, biochip systems and related microarray analysis software, and bioanalytical scintillation instruments.
Certain statements contained herein are ``forward-looking'' statements which involve a high degree of risk and uncertainty. Many factors could cause actual results to differ materially from these statements including, without limitation, loss of market share from competition, our ability to successfully introduce new products and platforms, market acceptance of new products and platforms, our ability to protect our intellectual property, not infringing on the intellectual property rights of others, changes in the markets we serve and economic issues such as interest rate and foreign exchange fluctuations. These and other risk factors are discussed in detail in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Editor's note: Technical inquires regarding HydroGel coated slides can be sent via e-mail to hydrogel@packardbioscience.com. For additional information on Packard BioScience Company, please refer to our Web site at packardbioscience.com. HydroGel, SpotArray and ScanArray are trademarks or registered trademarks of Packard BioScience Company or its subsidiaries in the United States and/or other countries. |
