EAST HILLS, NY, Aug. 9, 2004 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Pall Corp. strengthens its leadership position in the fast-growing proteomics market with the introduction of three new protein purification kits, its first entries in an extended line of Enchant™ Life Sciences Kits. The kit for albumin depletion and two kits for IgG (immunoglobulin G) purification remove these abundant proteins from human and animal-derived serum or plasma samples, providing the critical first step in isolating new drug targets.
The demand for proteomics technologies is increasing as scientists seek complete, all-inclusive sample preparation kits to better expedite their work in protein analyses and drug discovery. Pall's new protein purification kits support this need for advanced technology in the proteomics sample preparation market, which is projected to expand to $367.7 million by 2009.
Each all-in-one kit includes the protocol, purification columns and necessary buffers to provide researchers with advanced options for uncovering the small, low abundant biomarkers that are driving breakthroughs in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease. Since albumin and IgG make up about 80% of the total protein content in human serum, there's a critical need for diagnostic tools to rapidly deplete these unwanted abundant proteins and unmask the low abundant, low molecular weight protein biomarkers that offer researchers hope for developing new therapeutics.
"These three Enchant Life Sciences Kits are the newest addition to our existing line of products for the proteomics market in support of our business strategy to establish leadership in high growth areas of drug discovery and protein purification," says Ken Harris, President, Pall BioSciences. "We plan on launching additional purification kits that selectively target the unique low abundant proteins that researchers want to isolate, providing them with a full battery of products and technologies for protein purification."
Albumin is the most common abundant protein that researchers must deplete in order to uncover the low abundant protein targets in serum. Designed for centrifugal-based applications, the new Enchant Albumin Depletion Kit provides an efficient, easy-to-use protocol to consistently remove this abundant protein from both human and animal samples. The kit enables researchers to remove albumin from samples using five basic steps in just 10 minutes. It also offers users a convenient platform without the need to handle and pipette messy slurries.
The two new Enchant IgG Purification Kits with Protein A and Protein G affinity resins provide efficient removal of IgG, one of the five major classes of antibodies found in human or animal serum samples. Both Protein A and G are bacterial cell wall proteins that have specificity to the IgG antibody. Using these proteins as the specific affinity ligands for purifying IgG is a natural outgrowth of Pall's expertise in developing affinity-based membrane technologies that remove other target proteins, including prions, the cause of variant CJD (mad cow disease in humans) from blood.
The IgG kits are reusable gravity-based columns that offer high binding capacities for the effective purification or depletion of IgG. The need to isolate IgG from a serum sample is especially critical given the propensity of small proteins to be masked by IgG, making it more difficult to find the target protein, akin to looking for a needle in a haystack. The kits can be used for purifying a variety of immunoglobulin molecules and isotypes from a broad range of species.
"These new products are consistent with our approach to provide purification solutions across all stages of drug development, from bench to full-scale manufacturing," Ken Harris adds. "From basic proteomics research to full-scale monoclonal antibody production, Pall is committed to advancing technologies to streamline the discovery and production of new life-saving drugs."
The total proteomics market is expected to reach $3.3 billion in 2006. The need to improve the speed and efficiency of drug discovery is the primary driver of the shift of biomedical research from genomics to proteomics as the key technology to transform information into pharmaceutical production. It is estimated that proteomics has the potential to decrease spending per new chemical compound by about 30% (from an average cost of $500 to $750 million per compound) while also decreasing the time investment by two years (from an average of 10 to 12 years from discovery to market).
About Pall Corp.
Pall Corp. is the leader in the rapidly growing fields of filtration, separations and purification. Pall's business is organized around two broad markets: Life Sciences and Industrial. The company provides leading-edge products to meet the demanding needs of customers in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, transfusion medicine, semiconductors, municipal drinking water, aerospace and broad industrial markets. Total revenues are $1.6 billion. The Company headquarters are in East Hills, New York, with operations in more than 30 countries. Further information is available at www.pall.com.
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