NextGen and EP to offer combined service

NextGen Sciences, a provider of biomarker services, and fellow USA-based Expression Pathology, a specialist in tissue protein analysis, have signed a commercial agreement to provide protein biomarker services in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue samples.

According to the firms, the new combined offering will provide researchers with an improved, mass spectrometry-based alternative to the commonly used immuno-histochemistry method for identification and analysis of tissue proteins, reducing drug development timelines and providing accurate and quantitative measurement of protein biomarkers of disease progression, drug response and toxicity.

In addition to providing true quantitative protein analysis in FFPE tissue, which is not possible with current methods, the new services are expected to save months in the development process. Immuno-histochemistry is laborious and often requires several months for the production of an antibody against the protein of interest. However, the projects run by NextGen and Expression Pathology take less time to complete and do not require antibodies for protein quantitation, the firms claim.