Product category:
Filtration equipment and supplies
News Release from: Whatman International | Subject: Fast Slides / Uniclone
Edited by the Laboratorytalk Editorial
Team on 10 November 2006
Microarray facilitates autoimmune
disease analysis
Profiling of autoantigen biomarkers will further scientists' understanding of poorly recognized diseases, facilitating diagnosis and early treatment
Whatman announced in January 2006 that the combination of two promising technologies, Whatman/Schleicher and Schuell Fast Slides and the Protagen Uniclone human protein expression library, has enabled the discovery of novel autoantigens associated with the autoimmune disease alopecia areata The promising results of the study, published in Molecular and Cellular Proteomics 4:1382-1390 and available online, suggest that these two resources, used in tandem, will help scientists better understand the causes of various autoimmune diseases
This article was originally published on Laboratorytalk on 10 Nov 2006 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
GD/XP filters effective for testing heavy metals
Independent laboratory finds GD/XP filters minimise leaching and retention of inorganic ions in environmental and industrial sample preparation
Disposable filters ensure sterile hospital water
Whatman has announced the release of a new line of OEM in-line disposable filters designed specifically to remove bacterial pathogens from hospital water
Ultimately, innovations in this area will lead to significant advances in patient diagnosis and treatment.
Advances in protein array technology are allowing scientists to target specific genes from the tens of thousands discovered in 2003 by the Human Genome Project.
The success of Protagen and Ruhr University Bochum teams in their analysis of alopecia areata suggests that the combination of cDNA expression libraries and protein microarrays will lead to increased understanding of many other autoimmune diseases, including diabetes mellitus, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and psoriasis.
Further reading
Gendarmerie selects FTA cards for DNA collection
After evaluating several products, FTA was chosen for ease of use and ability to ensure safety and stability throughout the sample collection and transportation process
Screening for parasites in produce and water
Whatman has announced the successful completion of its two-year cooperative research and development agreement (Crada) with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
"In our autoimmune study, we found that the Whatman/Schleicher and Schuell's Fast Slides were the best microarray surface to use in our Unichip AV-400 products," said Christoph Huels, CEO of Protagen.
"This combined product, designed to reduce the time and costs associated with antibody development, is an ideal example of the protein array technology that is facilitating industry research and discovery".
Afflicting between five and seven percent of the world's population, autoimmune diseases arise from a person's overactive immune response to substances and tissues normally present in the body.
Because the diseases affect multiple body systems, their symptoms are often misleading.
As such, autoimmune diseases remain among the most poorly understood and poorly recognized illnesses.
"We expect that the combination of cDNA expression libraries and protein microarray technology will facilitate the autoantigen profiling of many other autoimmune diseases, leading to advanced diagnostics based on microarray technology," added Martin Tricarico, vice president of business development of Whatman.
"In such a scenario, a doctor could use standardized autoimmune disease arrays to diagnose and treat patients more quickly.
"These potential benefits make this an exciting time for both proteomics and autoimmune research.".
• Whatman International: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Laboratorytalk email newsletter
• Laboratorytalk Home Page
Search the Pro-Talk network of sites
