RapidFire High-Throughput Mass Spectrometry Coupled with Time-of-Flight MS System from Agilent Technologies Detects Protein Kinase Activities, Validates Drug-Drug Interaction Studies

WOBURN, Mass.–BioTrove, Inc. today announced it will present data this week demonstrating compatibility of its RapidFire® Mass Spectrometry (RF-MS) system with Agilent Technologies Inc.’s (NYSE:A) Time-of-Flight (TOF) mass spectrometer system for high-throughput screening of protein inhibitors and examination of drug-drug interaction assays. Combining the two platforms, drug discovery researchers can now perform high-throughput drug-drug interaction and label-free kinase assays using whole protein substrates. These data are presented in two posters at the 57th American Society for Mass Spectrometry Conference on Mass Spectrometry in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The two posters presented are:

Monday, June 1

Drug Metabolism: High Throughput, Exhibit Hall AB (10:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.)

P 438:

“Evaluation of Accurate Mass TOF-MS for Use in High-Throughput CYP450 Inhibition Screening” by William A. LaMarr, Ph.D. The study shows that the RapidFire/Time-of-Flight system provides researchers accurate mass data for high-throughput analysis of CYP inhibition assays. The use of accurate mass measurements afforded by the Agilent TOF-MS has the potential to streamline the workflow in other in vitro ADME applications such as metabolic stability assays by eliminating the bottleneck of MS method development.

Thursday, June 4

High-Throughput Analysis/Robotics, Exhibit Hall AB (10:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.)

669:

“Label Free High-Throughput Whole Protein Kinase Screening Assay” by Michelle V. Romm, Ph.D. The study demonstrates that the RapidFire/Time-of-Flight system provides a high-throughput screening interface for the label-free detection of whole protein kinase activity at per sample throughputs under 10 seconds. The ability to use whole protein substrates in kinase assays enables researchers to investigate challenging kinase targets, such as those that have multiple phosphorylation sites or kinases that auto-phosphorylate, that are problematic to study with optical or radiometric assay formats.

“BioTrove seeks to improve researchers’ ability to discover new drugs,” said Can “Jon” Özbal, Ph.D., Vice President and General Manager, BioTrove RapidFire Business Unit. “The integration of RapidFire with Agilent’s state-of-the-art Time-of-Flight technology provides scientists a new tool to accelerate and expand on possibilities in drug discovery and disease research.”

The RapidFire/Time-of-Flight system allows for the analysis of whole proteins in their native state, rather than fragmented peptide substrates, including:

Methylases & Demethylases

Ubiquitinases

Acetylases & Deacetylases

Kinases

Phosphatases

“Agilent and BioTrove have a collaborative history benefiting life sciences innovation and discovery,” said Ken Miller, Global Senior Marketing Manager, LC/MS, Agilent Technologies Inc. “Our combined technologies provide scientists an end-to-end solution for high-throughput drug discovery and ADME screening.”

BioTrove and Agilent will be present at the American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS) conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, May 31 – June 4. BioTrove representatives will be available to discuss RapidFire solutions both at Booth #66 and at Hospitality Suite J, in the Marriott Hotel. Agilent representatives will be available to discuss the TOF LC/MS system at Booth #114. More information on BioTrove’s ASMS activities and presentations is available at www.BioTrove.com.

About BioTrove, Inc.

BioTrove, Inc. offers two innovative technology platforms: OpenArray®, which advances genomic research in a wide range of life science fields, including agriculture, disease research, and public health, and RapidFire®, which enables the acceleration of drug discovery and pipeline decisions. With 11 of the top 12 largest biopharmaceutical companies based on global sales as clients, and partnerships with prestigious research and public health centers around the world, BioTrove’s products and services ensure that an industry committed to accuracy and speed can meet business goals.

The OpenArray® Platform enables genomics researchers to generate SNP and real time qPCR data in the hundreds of thousands of data points per day, significantly increasing the number of samples analyzed while significantly decreasing the time and cost required. The flexible format and nanoliter scale of the OpenArray system allows for easy adjustment of sample and assay numbers, achieving economical, high-throughput genomics. Life Technologies globally markets the OpenArray SNP genotyping platform under the TaqMan® OpenArray® SNP Genotyping brand. BioTrove is a licensee of Life Technologies global patent rights related to the real-time thermal cyclers, microfluidics and data analysis.

RapidFire® Mass Spectrometry (RF-MS) feeds samples directly to the mass spectrometer at six to eight seconds per sample, eliminating the bottleneck created by traditional mass spectrometry throughput. RF-MS is routinely used in many applications including the high-throughput screening of previously intractable drug targets, ADME assays and directed evolution studies.

About Agilent Technologies

Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE:A) is the world’s premier measurement company and a technology leader in communications, electronics, life sciences and chemical analysis. The company’s 19,000 employees serve customers in more than 110 countries. Agilent had net revenues of $5.8 billion in fiscal 2008. Information about Agilent is available on the Web at www.agilent.com.

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