DGI Launches Proteome Panning, a New Proteomic Mining Technology - Company Identifies New Anticancer Target -
EDISON, N.J., Dec. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- DGI BioTechnologies, Inc. announced the launch of Proteome Panning, a novel proteome mining technology that has led to the identification of DGI-3, a new anti-cancer target.
Proteome Panning allows the rapid mining of DGI's RAPIDLIB® random Surrogate peptide libraries. A key attribute of this procedure is its simultaneous isolation and pairing of regulatory peptides or Surrogates with the majority of the proteins contained within a proteome. The Surrogate peptides isolated in the Proteome Panning process are then available first to identify the natural partner and protein network for the target protein and second, to regulate its activity in model systems to complete target validation. The overall process, referred to as Phenogenix®, feeds into DGI's Diogenesis platform that searches for small molecule drug leads. Together the two processes facilitate rapid post-genomic drug development.
Dr. Arthur J. Blume, DGI President and CEO, commented, ``Proteome Panning is a significant improvement in the process of identifying protein functions and disease involvement. As it can be applied to single proteins as well as populations of differentially expressed proteins, it enables the use of the present-day gene and protein expression databases to identify the 'protein needle' in the 'proteome haystack.'''
Dr. Neil Goldstein, Vice-President, Research at DGI, noted that the recent patents filed on the new gene and the Proteome Panning process validate DGI's claim to a drug discovery continuum. ``We started with a gene of unknown function, differentially expressed in certain cancers, and used Phenogenix®, to rapidly isolate its Surrogate and identify its natural partners, protein network and its cancer related function. In our estimation, DGI-3 is now a valid target for further drug discovery efforts.''
Prof. Jesper Zeuthen, Managing Director of the BankInvest Biomedical Venture Funds, Copenhagen Denmark, and the new lead investor in DGI, added, ``We are proud to be one of the main investors in DGI and to see that the company now has been able to move into the forefront of target validation with the prospect of rapidly identifying small molecule drug candidates.''
About DGI BioTechnologies:
DGI BioTechnologies, Inc. is a privately-held biotechnology-based research company, located in Edison N.J. and formed in January 1996 to develop its proprietary small molecule drug discovery platform, called Diogenesis®. DGI BioTechnologies utilizes 10,000 square feet of newly equipped laboratory space in Edison, New Jersey. DGI presently has 33 employees in the fields of proteomics, molecular immunology, molecular pharmacology, and structural biology. DGI focuses on functional proteomics and the identification of promising drug leads which regulate protein-protein interactions for license to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies... |
