Applied Biosystems Announces New Molecular Tools To Speed Drug Discovery Research
New TaqMan Gene Signature Panels Accelerate Discovery of New Drug Targets, Target Validation, Studies of Drug Response, and Screening
Foster City, CA - Applied Biosystems, an Applera Corporation business, today announced the release of a new series of TaqMan Gene Signature Panels for accelerating drug discovery research. Researchers who use these gene signature panels, which are offered in low density array formats, will be able to more thoroughly study difficult-to-detect genes that are important to the drug research needs of the pharmaceutical industry.
Applied Biosystems developed these TaqMan arrays because pharmaceutical companies are increasingly working to develop new drugs designed to interfere with or modulate interactions between proteins that play critical roles in both disease progression and response to treatment. By investigating changes in the expression of genes that code for these kinds of proteins, researchers can identify potential new drug targets, validate known targets, and screen samples during drug development.
The TaqMan Low Density Array Gene Signature Panels enable researchers to simultaneously observe and determine the expression level of genes that encode proteins involved with critical cellular functions. Many key genes are expressed at low levels, making them difficult to observe. This is especially true when researchers use genome survey technologies such as hybridization microarrays. In order to detect genes expressed at low levels, researchers need an extremely sensitive technology such as these TaqMan arrays that can detect very few copies of nucleic acids present in a sample.
"The sensitivity of these new TaqMan arrays should make it possible for researchers to evaluate expression changes in genes normally expressed at levels too low to observe using other methods," said Carl Hull, vice president and general manager for the sequence detection systems and microarrays business units of Applied Biosystems. "The result is that we can help pharmaceutical companies to better select which targets and which samples to study further as part of their drug target discovery and development programs."
Some of the most significant proteins addressed by the new gene signature panels are G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), which are cell-surface receptors that act as signaling proteins for various critical cell functions. According to several published research articles, at least 40% of recently developed drugs modulate the action of GPCRs.
Pharmaceutical companies can use the new Applied Biosystems mouse and human GPCR panels in tissue pharmacology studies to prioritize which tissues to study further as part of their target discovery program. Today, there are already marketed drugs that target GPCRs for heart failure, high blood pressure, breast cancer, and schizophrenia.
Other significant protein functions that can be studied with the new TaqMan arrays include: ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters, which are proteins that help ferry chemicals across the cell membrane. The new gene signature panel for ABC transporter genes enables researchers to analyze the mechanisms that regulate the transport of substances across the cell membrane, mediate export of drugs in tumor cells, and affect drug resistance.
There is also a new panel for the apoptosis pathway, a group of proteins that are related to programmed cell death. The new human apoptosis panel can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of cancer drugs, where breakdowns in the regulation of apoptotic pathways have been associated with resistance to chemotherapy treatments.
These new molecular tools are an extension of Applied Biosystems existing line of TaqMan Low Density Array Gene Signature Panels, which also includes panels for human immune tolerance and kinase proteins. The TaqMan arrays are micro fluidic cards that allow researchers to perform 384 simultaneous real-time PCR reactions without the need for robotics. Real-time PCR is a sensitive laboratory method that can be used to measure changes in levels of DNA or RNA in samples. These panels are designed for the Applied Biosystems 7900HT Fast Real-Time PCR Systems.
SOURCE: Applied Biosystems