Invitrogen Exclusively Licenses Novel Click Chemistry-Based Cell Proliferation Assays From Harvard University
New Technology Complements Company's "click" Chemistry Portfolio
Carlsbad, CA - Invitrogen Corporation, a provider of essential life science technologies for research, production and diagnostics, announces the exclusive license of unique cell proliferation assays based on "click" chemistry from Harvard University. The license enhances Invitrogen's growing portfolio of intellectual property surrounding click chemistry, originally developed by Nobel Laureate K. Barry Sharpless' laboratory at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, CA.
Click-iT labeling and detection technology uses a catalyst to "click" together chemical groups not normally found in biology. For example, the Click-iT EdU kit, based on the technology invented by Drs. Adrian Salic and Tim Mitchison at the Harvard Medical School Department of Systems Biology and licensed from Harvard, uses EdU, a modified nucleic acid subunit that can be taken up by actively dividing cells and incorporated into newly synthesized DNA. A fluorescent small molecule tag can then be snapped onto the EdU-labeled DNA to mark proliferating cells. This click reaction is extremely specific and efficient, and Click-iT tagged molecules retain biological function and are easily detected at extremely low levels in complex samples. Click-iT chemistry is suitable for multiple applications, including flow cytometry, fluorescence microscopy and high content screening.
"Click chemistry permits the labeling and detection of biological events that were previously impossible using standard methods," said Augie Sick, Vice President and General Manager of Invitrogen's Cellular Analysis Business Unit. "That's why we are pleased to have acquired Harvard's technology, which represents a significant advancement over conventional techniques and augments the power of our click chemistry. This advancement allows researchers to examine cell proliferation in parallel with other biomarkers thus enhancing the power of this fundamental method for assessing cell health, determining genotoxicity and evaluating anti-cancer drugs."
Invitrogen holds a license for click chemistry from The Scripps Research Institute and is assembling a broad portfolio of complementary intellectual property. In addition to the Scripps and Harvard licenses, Invitrogen has commercial licenses from the University of California, Berkeley, the National Institutes of Health and the California Institute of Technology to market Click-iT(TM) kits for glycoprotein profiling. These kits enable researchers to label subsets of glycoproteins in live cells, extracts or purified samples, and are compatible with mass spectrometry.
Invitrogen is developing additional Click-iT product line applications, including replacing radioactivity for detecting new protein synthesis.
"Traditional methods of specifically labeling cellular components require antibodies, which may be larger than the molecule a scientist is trying to visualize; this may compromise the function of that molecule," continued Sick. "On the other hand, direct fluorescent labeling will label your molecule of interest along with many others, making precise observations impossible. Click chemistry marries the specificity of antibodies with the flexibility of direct labeling, giving scientists new tools to probe into cellular function."
Click-iT technology is another example of how Invitrogen is broadening its cellular biology product line and cementing its position as the leading provider of reagents for protein and cellular analysis.
SOURCE: Invitrogen