Proteome Regulatory News (PRM)

Proteome Sciences to collaborate with CHDI Foundation on Huntington's disease research

20 August 2012 - London, UK. Proteome Sciences plc (Proteome) has announced that they will collaborate with CHDI Foundation, Inc. on a systems biology project regarding Huntington's disease. Initially, Proteome will provide its PS Biomarker Services™ protein profiling to CHDI's research programs. The analyses will be performed at Proteome's facility in Frankfurt am Main (Germany), which is certified according to the international quality standards of ISO 9001:2008.

Commenting on the collaboration, Dr. Ian Pike, COO at Proteome, said "We are delighted that CHDI has selected PS Biomarker Services™ to deliver potential proteomic markers that could help elucidate mechanisms of Huntington's disease pathology. The link between the Huntington's disease genotype and disease phenotype remains poorly understood and we will apply our Tandem Mass Tag workflows to provide high density protein expression maps in cell lines carrying different CAG-repeat lengths. Proteome Sciences has previously performed studies to identify biomarkers of HD progression in blood, and several of these are being independently evaluated as potential pharmacodynamic markers in the PADDINGTON study."

Jamshid Arjomand, PhD, Director, Basic Research at CHDI, said "We are excited to implement a robust proteomic platform in support of our systems biology efforts at CHDI. Proteome Sciences' expertise in this domain will provide an additional layer of information to help us and the wider HD research community probe the pathological mechanisms involved in this devastating disorder."

ENDS

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

About CHDI Foundation

CHDI Foundation, Inc. is a privately funded, not-for-profit, virtual biotech company that is exclusively dedicated to rapidly discovering and developing therapies that slow the progression of Huntington's disease. CHDI's scientists work closely with a network of more than 600 researchers in academic and industrial laboratories around the world in the pursuit of these novel therapies, providing project management to ensure that their common goals remain in focus. This helps bridge the translational gap that often exists between academic and industrial research pursuits that adds costly delays to therapy development. In its role as a collaborative enabler, CHDI seeks to bring the right partners together to identify and address critical scientific issues and move drug candidates to clinical evaluation as rapidly as possible. CHDI's activities extend from exploratory biology to the identification and validation of therapeutic targets, and from drug discovery and development to clinical studies and trials.

More information about CHDI can be found at www.chdifoundation.org