Major technology contract

RNS Number : 8222G

Proteome Sciences PLC

12 June 2013

 



Proteome Sciences plc

("Proteome Sciences" or the "Company")

Proteome Sciences to Develop Cancer Pathway Profiling Assays

Cobham, 12 June, 2013 − Proteome Sciences today announced its largest contract to date, a technology agreement with Thermo Fisher Scientific, valued at $2.1million by Proteome Sciences, to develop advanced methods to profile changes in key cancer pathways. Proteome Sciences will provide Thermo Fisher with access to its patents covering a three-stage mass spectrometry (MS3) fragmentation methodology to deliver significantly improved analysis and accuracy. Proteome Sciences will receive cash and Thermo Fisher will provide a no-cost lease for mass spectrometry equipment for Proteome Sciences to develop the pathway assays. In addition Proteome Sciences will continue to develop advanced 20 and 30-plex Tandem Mass Tags (TMT^®) for Thermo Fisher for the next additions to the TMT^® range of tags.

The new MS3 TMT^® (three-stage MS Tandem Mass Tag) mass spectrometry technique is a breakthrough mass spectrometry based workflow, enabling mass spectrometers to determine relative quantitation of proteins in multiple samples simultaneously and with improved accuracy. 

"We are at a critical juncture toward the development of personalised medicine which requires high-resolution maps of the protein networks regulating disease," said Dr. Ian Pike, Chief Operating Officer at Proteome Sciences. "The combination of the highest sample multiplexing rates from TMT with the industry-leading Thermo Scientific Orbitrap mass spectrometer enables us to provide an unrivalled platform to investigate subtle but significant changes in the proteome."

Proteome Sciences will leverage the combined power of TMT^® and Orbitrap^® technology to develop an expanded range of mass spectrometry assays for the pharmaceutical industry. Through its SysQuant^® workflows, Proteome will profile the low-level changes in activity of key cancer signalling pathways to facilitate optimal drug selection across a range of solid tumours. This will enable clinicians to provide real-time patient management and the ability, for the first time, to deliver truly personalised medicine.

"Life sciences researchers today need to perform high-quality relative quantitation of many samples quickly," said Ian Jardine, Chief Technology Officer, Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry, Thermo Fisher Scientific. "MS3 TMT^® technology greatly improves quantitative accuracy and throughput, while Orbitrap^® technology dramatically increases depth and quality of data. This agreement offers customers a new paradigm in proteomics research."

 "Our agreement with Thermo Fisher sets a new benchmark to establish and apply novel diagnostic and prognostic strategies in healthcare management," said Christopher Pearce, Chief Executive of Proteome Sciences. "It has long been our goal to provide clinicians the tools they need to provide early diagnosis of disease and better match molecular targeting medicines to the most likely responders. The output from this agreement should have a profound positive impact on the lives of large numbers of patients suffering from chronic diseases and, at the same time, provide considerable economic benefits to the health care system."

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For further information please contact:

Proteome Sciences plc
Christopher Pearce, Chief Executive Officer	Tel: [phone]
Dr. Ian Pike, Chief Operating Officer James Malthouse, Finance Director
Nominated Adviser
Cenkos
Stephen Keys/Camilla Hume	Tel: [phone]
Public Relations
FTI Consulting	IKON Associates
Ben Atwell / Simon Conway / Mo Noonan	Adrian Shaw
Tel: [phone]	Tel: [phone]

Notes to Editors:

About Proteome Sciences

Proteome Sciences is a global leader in applied proteomics and peptidomics offering high sensitivity, proprietary technologies for protein and peptide biomarker discovery, validation and assay development. Its PS Biomarker Services™ uses isobaric and isotopic Tandem Mass Tag^® (TMT^®) workflows developed on the latest Orbitrap^® Velos and TSQ Vantage mass spectrometers to deliver rapid, robust and reproducible biomarker assay development for customers in the pharmaceutical, diagnostic and biotechnology sectors. Services are provided from its ISO 9001: 2008 accredited facilities in Frankfurt, Germany. By combining Selected Reaction Monitoring (SRM) and TMT^® workflows highly multiplexed assays can be developed rapidly and are suitable for screening hundreds of candidate biomarkers in larger validation studies and can be transferred for immunoassay development. The Company's own research has discovered a large number of novel protein biomarkers in key human diseases and is focused mainly in neurological/neurodegenerative conditions and in cancer. It has discovered and patented blood biomarkers, including Alzheimer's disease, stroke, brain damage and lung cancer for diagnostic and treatment applications that are available for license or are already outlicensed. Proteome Sciences, based in Cobham, UK, with facilities in London and Frankfurt, delivers outsourced proteomics services and proprietary biomarkers/biomarker

assays to pharmaceutical, biotechnology and diagnostics companies.

Visit:  http://www.proteomics.com

 

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