Basel, Switzerland, December 3, 2008 -- Genedata, a leading provider of in-silico solutions for pharmaceutical R&D and related life sciences, today announced a wide-ranging collaboration on analysis of mass spectrometry data with researchers at the Comprehensive Cancer Center Proteomics Facility of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). The collaboration makes extensive use of the Genedata’s Expressionist® system to identify protein biomarkers for critical human diseases using animal models.
The collaboration has spanned three studies to date and covers the following research areas:
• Pancreatic Cancer
• Prostate Cancer
• Cystic Fibrosis
In each of these projects the Genedata Expressionist® Refiner MS and Analyst modules were utilized for pre-processing and statistical analyses on LC-MS spectra.
Using the Expressionist system, researchers first created matched peak lists across all samples with the Refiner MS module and then performed uni- and multivariate statistical analyses with the Analyst module to identify peaks differentiating normal and disease states. After statistical analysis, researchers used standard techniques to identify the peptides found in the differentiating peaks. By doing the peak processing and analyses up front and using raw MS data, researchers were able to identify biomarker peptides that they would have otherwise missed had they only captured secondary MS traces running instruments in a more typical data-dependent mode.
Professor James Mobley, Director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center Proteomics Facility concluded, “Using Expressionist in a systems biology approach advanced our research in two fundamental ways. First, because of the reproducibility inherent in the system, we were able to identify key biomarkers with a relatively small cohort. Second, the reproducibility of this approach also increased the confidence in our resulting protein biomarker hits and enabled us to identify key associated pathways that were otherwise difficult to discern. The ability to compare samples prior to identification coupled with the sheer processing power and accuracy of the Expressionist system will enable our research to go into areas that might otherwise remain unexplored.”
Dr. Othmar Pfannes, CEO of Genedata, stated, “Genedata is delighted to work with UAB, which already has produced compelling results in protein biomarker identification for important disease research. This collaboration demonstrates Genedata’s continuing contribution to advance innovative research.”
About Genedata
Genedata develops and globally markets sophisticated computational solutions for drug discovery and related research processes in the life sciences. Genedata’s solutions enable scientists to process, integrate, analyze, and manage large and complex experimental data sets generated by high throughput technologies. Our solutions include Genedata Phylosopher® for target discovery and integrative biological data management, Genedata Screener® for automated high throughput screening and high content screening, and Genedata Expressionist® for biomarker discovery and personalized medicine. Founded in 1997, Genedata is privately held, with headquarters in Basel, Switzerland, and offices in Boston & San Francisco, USA, Konstanz & Munich, Germany and Tokyo, Japan. For more information, please visit www.genedata.com
