BREMEN, GOETTINGEN and Tuebingen, Germany – – Bruker Daltonik GmbH, the University of Goettingen and German biotech company PANATecs GmbH today announced a new development collaboration in protein biomarker discovery and molecular diagnostics research based on mass spectrometry. PANATecs will apply Bruker Daltonics’ CLINPROT™ tools for biomarker discovery, profiling and identification in the field of rheumatoid arthritis research and development. In the joint project funded by the German Ministry of Education and Research, new tests for the molecular diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis are expected to be developed by a combination of immunological and biochemical techniques with a mass spectrometry read-out. In addition, PANATecs will offer services for biomarker identification using Bruker Daltonics’ mass spectrometry equipment. Dr. Thomas Flad, Managing Director of PANATecs, stated: “We are very pleased that Bruker Daltonics is a partner who is committed to molecular diagnostics research, and who has also the necessary depth and advanced technology in mass spectrometry to obtain high quality data from the valuable sample collections of our company and our clinical partners. The versatile sample preparation with CLINPROT beads and streamlined data interpretation with ClinProTools™ software, together with superior mass spectrometry technology, makes Bruker Daltonics our ideal partner in the field of biomarker analysis.” Dr. Wolfgang Pusch, Director of Clinical Proteomics and Biomarker Analysis Products of Bruker Daltonik GmbH, commented: “It is an important milestone in our efforts in clinical proteomics research that PANATecs, as a leading biotech company dedicated to developing new molecular diagnostics assays based on mass spectrometry, has made this strategic decision for our CLINPROT solution. With the high clinical capabilities of PANATecs and the Department of Nephrology and Rheumatology at the Faculty of Medicine in Goettingen, we see a good chance for future CLINPROT molecular diagnostics of rheumatoid arthritis, or even other autoimmune diseases.” Prof. Dr. Gerhard Mueller, Director of the Cooperative Center for Rheumatology, University of Goettingen, concluded: “The complementary experience which the different partners contribute makes this three-party cooperation very promising. While the Center for Rheumatology will contribute the clinical expertise and access to a large number of clinically well characterized patient samples, PANATecs has significant experience concerning immunological and biochemical procedures necessary to gain access to the respective biomarker molecules. This setup is complemented by Bruker Daltonics as an advanced mass spectrometry partner with a proven commitment to clinical research.”