Indiana Centers For Applied Protein Sciences Changes Name To Monarch LifeSciences LLC Refocuses On Biomarker Discovery And Development Services

Indianapolis, IN - The Indiana Centers for Applied Protein Sciences (INCAPS) today announced that they have changed their name to Monarch LifeSciences LLC. The new name originates from its core business of researching proteins. The transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly is often used to illustrate the importance of proteins in biology. Butterflies and caterpillars have the same genome, yet appear completely different. Changes at the protein level are responsible for these differences.

Monarch LifeSciences is a contract research organization with expertise in protein biomarker discovery, development and validation. The company brings biotech, pharmaceutical and academic institutions state- of-the-art mass spectrometry technologies coupled with proprietary sample preparation methods and quantification algorithms. Monarch was formed through BioCrossroads, Indiana's initiative to grow life science businesses, along with the state's leading academic and industry organizations such as Eli Lilly and Company, Indiana University, the IU School of Medicine, and Purdue University.

The company has recently expanded their services and technology platforms and now offers high throughput mass spec-based protein assays (LifeMarker Assays). These assays measure specific protein biomarkers without the need for antibodies. Their clients include large pharmaceutical companies, medium and small biotech firms, and academic investigators from North America and Europe, and they have also been involved in a number of commercial and government consortia aimed at discovering and validating protein biomarkers.

Notable projects:

• They have received a portion of a $7 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to develop and validate novel biomarker discovery tools
• Their work of searching for potential biomarkers of cisplatin resistance in human ovarian cancer was recently featured in Proteomics: Clinical Applications. They identified and quantified expression levels for more than 2,000 proteins, providing important information to help better understand the underlying mechanisms of drug-resistance in ovarian cancer
• Monarch's MS-based proteomics technologies were applied in a series of clinical studies to assess the feasibility of measuring changes in proteins in cerebrospinal fluid related to drug administration. Their data suggests that drug-specific changes in the CNS proteome do occur and can be detected.

"Monarch LifeSciences emphasizes the statistical significance of each protein expression level change through our protein biomarker discovery and validation processes to help our customers realize their research goals," said Shawn Comella, the newly named President and CEO. "We have completed more than 300 projects in the last two years and continue to develop new technologies to support biomarker discovery and development Comella was previously Vice President of Business Development for SSCI, Inc., an Aptuit Company, which is a cGMP research and analytical service firm. He also held a number of management roles at Roche Diagnostics, including Group Director of the Roche Protein Expression Group and Channel Manager of Roche Applied Science.

SOURCE: Monarch LifeSciences