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Biotech / Medical : Ciphergen Biosystems(CIPH): -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: smh who wrote (128)	6/2/2003 4:29:37 PM
From: tuck	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 510

>>FREMONT, Calif., June 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ciphergen Biosystems, Inc. (Nasdaq: CIPH - News) announced today the launch of its new Interaction Discovery Mapping (IDM) platform based on the SELDI ProteinChip Biomarker System. The IDM platform represents a significant development in Clinical Proteomics application tools, enabling rapid protein interaction studies and complementing Ciphergen's proven Expression Difference Mapping(TM) (EDM) capability for biomarker discovery. The IDM platform enables: -- Rapid discovery of new protein interaction related biomarkers; -- Elucidation of disease associated biological pathways and function, as well as novel therapeutic strategies; and -- Development of rapid, quantitative multi-marker assays for disease diagnosis, prognosis and treatment monitoring with improved clinical sensitivity and specificity. "Ciphergen has pioneered the field of Clinical Proteomics through our ProteinChip System-based biomarker discovery capabilities," commented William Rich, President and CEO. "We believe that this new IDM platform, when integrated with our proven EDM platform, combines protein expression and interaction discovery on a single ProteinChip platform and enables a breakthrough in 'Functional Proteomics.' Reducing Functional Proteomics to practice in this way provides a better understanding of disease pathways and takes Clinical Proteomics to the next level." The EDM/IDM integrated strategy for the discovery of disease-associated biomarkers is at the heart of Clinical Proteomics. This strategy is as follows: -- Expression Difference Mapping (EDM): Ciphergen's ProteinChip Biomarker System is used with appropriate sample sets (disease vs. controls) to perform EDM and discover biomarkers that are up- or down-regulated in the disease or toxicity being studied. Using EDM and Biomarker Patterns(TM) Software for pattern recognition, multiple protein biomarkers of disease states are typically uncovered and study validation is easily achieved with larger sample sets. Full automation to improve throughput and reproducibility was recently incorporated in this well established process by the introduction of the ProteinChip AutoBiomarker System. -- Purification/ID: Key disease classifying biomarkers of interest identified with Biomarker Patterns Software are then purified and sequence-identified using either the ProteinChip Biomarker System or a Tandem Mass Spectrometer outfitted with a ProteinChip Interface. SELDI-assisted sample purification is key to this process and utilizes a range of "surface chemistry matched" BioSepra(R) Chromatography Beads that mimic the binding and elution conditions of the ProteinChip Array on which the biomarker was identified. This enables simple and rapid enrichment of proteins to be isolated and digested for sequence identification. -- Interaction Discovery Mapping (IDM): The purified and identified protein biomarkers are then used as "bait" on Ciphergen's Reactive Surface (RS) ProteinChip Arrays or Trap-eZe(TM) Affinity Beads; a new, preactivated bead that covalently binds bait molecules or antibodies. These beads utilize a proprietary zirconia-based support, whose density facilitates easy handling in either spin-column or 96 well formats for automation. Importantly, tags and labels, which can interfere with subsequent binding events, are not necessary. After specific protein capture from the disease sample, the captured protein and any stable protein complexes are eluted from the bead surface and recaptured onto ProteinChip Arrays for final quantitative SELDI analysis. Alternatively, when the additional binding capacity of the beads is not needed, the bait molecule can be coupled directly to Ciphergen's next generation preactivated RS-ProteinChip Array surface for rapid, simple capture and direct SELDI detection of interactors from small sample volumes. For HIS-tagged protein capture and signal transduction applications, protocols have been developed using the company's new IMAC HyperCel(R) media. This new media also complements the IMAC30 ProteinChip Array for direct on-chip capture applications in similar areas of study. "The use of high capacity affinity beads that are 'surface chemistry matched' with ProteinChip Arrays is a powerful and versatile combination. Their use for IDM applications alone or with EDM/IDM strategies enable the successful use of SELDI ProteinChip technology in applications where the most powerful tools for protein biomarker discovery, validation, purification/ID and assay development are required," stated Kate Gilbert, Consumables Product Manager. The new IDM platform is accompanied by a detailed 100 page IDM Guide containing robust protocols for a wide range of applications such as antibody-antigen interactions, cytokine and A-beta assays, kinase assays, capture of biotinylated molecules and disease biomarker interaction discovery. These IDM protocols and the EDM/IDM strategy are routinely used by scientists at Ciphergen's Biomarker Discovery Center® facilities in California, Pennsylvania, Denmark and Japan.<< snip Cheers, Tuck