MDS Analytical Technologies' Laser Capture Microdissection Helps Facilitate Discovery of Potential New Colon-Cancer Biomarker
04 Februar 2009 - 2:00PM
PR Newswire (US)
SUNNYVALE, CA, Feb. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- MDS Analytical
Technologies, a leader in innovative solutions for drug discovery
and life sciences research, today announced that its Arcturus(R)
Laser Capture Microdissection (LCM) instruments were used by
researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) in their discovery
of genetic variations that may prove to be key predictors of risk
for colon cancer and indicators of the disease's progression.
Researchers hope that these important findings will provide doctors
with much improved diagnostic tools for colon cancer. By
identifying people that carry these genetic variations, doctors
will be better equipped to determine the course of treatment for
patients with the disease. This data may also prove important as
doctors advise patients on health and lifestyle choices that may
influence one's risk of developing the disease. "MDS Analytical
Technologies is very pleased that its Arcturus line of LCM
instruments played such a key role in this important discovery that
may move us even closer to preventing more people from developing
colon cancer," said Andy Boorn, President of MDS Analytical
Technologies. "By maintaining custody of the sample throughout the
microdissection process, the Arcturus system removed any guesswork
from the experiment, and allowed the researchers at the University
of Cincinnati to collect only their desired material for this
important study." As reported in the January 16, 2009 issue of PLoS
Genetics, a peer-review, open-access scientific journal published
by the U.S. Public Library of Science, scientists at UC used
Arcturus(R) LCM systems to investigate the role that the abnormal
regulation of a known prostate cancer biomarker -
alpha-methylacyl-coenzyme A racemase (AMACR) - plays in colon
cancer. AMACR is a protein that breaks down branched-chain fatty
acids, which are found in red meats and dairy products, and are
suspected to be risk factors for the disease. "AMACR was recently
shown to have abnormal expression patterns in colon cancer, but not
much was known about how it's regulated at the gene level," said
Shuk-mei Ho, Ph.D., Chair of UC's Department of Environmental
Health and senior author of the study. "Uncovering how the gene is
abnormally activated in cancer will give us a better understanding
of how to treat the disease in the end." To find answers,
scientists at UC, along with researchers at the University of
Massachusetts, used Arcturus(R) LCM instruments to enrich a
homogenous population of cancer cells from colon carcinoma tissue,
so that their data would not be obscured by non-carcinoma material
that otherwise would be included in the analysis. Scientists
analyzed a series of samples that represented the entire colon
cancer progression, comparing the genetic sequences of the laser
capture microdissected colon carcinoma cells with sequences from a
general population. Comparative sequencing of the two groups of
samples revealed the genetic variations that may be the triggers
for abnormal protein expression found in colon cancer. "Only by
using LCM were we able to uncover these deletions in the AMACR
sequence," Dr. Ho said. "We needed to look at only the cancer cells
versus normal cells, and LCM was the only way to achieve this level
of sensitivity." In addition to the novel deletions, the study
identified putative transcription factors that, under normal
circumstances, may bind to the deleted sequence to regulate gene
expression. The study also found a novel genetic variant in AMACR
that is present in the general population, and which may influence
the course of how colon cancer may progress. "We need to start
paying closer attention to how the environment in which we live and
the things we put in our bodies interact with our genetic makeup to
influence our cancer risk," Dr. Ho added. The UC research team
expects to expand this research into a multi-center study in the
near future. The project is currently funded by the National
Institutes of Health and the U.S. Army Prostate Cancer Program.
ArcturusXT(TM) System MDS Analytical Technologies will present the
ArcturusXT(TM) system at the American Academy of Forensic Sciences
Annual Meeting 2009, February 18-20 in Denver, CO (MDS Analytical
Technologies' booth # 606). The system will also be presented at
the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2009,
April 19-22 in Denver, CO (MDS Analytical Technologies' booth #
546). About Arcturus(R) LCM Instruments The Arcturus(R) LCM
instruments isolate pure cell populations from heterogeneous
populations of cells by employing MDS Analytical Technologies'
exclusive infrared (IR) laser-based capture technology, which has
been designed to maintain biomolecule integrity within the
microdissected samples for use in downstream analyses. Whether
researchers are using LCM alone or in combination with the
ultraviolet laser cutting option, the gentle non-damaging IR
capture technology allows the custody of the microdissected sample
to be maintained throughout the process. This gives researchers
confidence and assurance that their desired material has been
collected. Enrichment of specific populations of cells through this
process enables researchers to perform sensitive and specific
molecular analyses, otherwise not possible without the use of LCM.
Arcturus(R) LCM instruments are for research use only and not
intended for clinical or diagnostic purposes. About MDS Analytical
Technologies MDS Analytical Technologies, a business unit of MDS
Inc., is focused on the research, design, manufacture and marketing
of state-of-the-art tools for mass-spectrometry, drug discovery and
bioresearch. MDS Analytical Technologies' products are designed to
help accelerate the complex process of discovering and developing
new drug compounds, and are sold to research scientists around the
world. The mass-spectrometer product lines are also sold globally
through joint ventures with two of the world's leading analytical
instrumentation and life sciences companies, Life Technologies
Corp. and PerkinElmer, Inc. Find out more at
http://www.mdssciex.com/ or http://www.moleculardevices.com/. About
MDS Inc. MDS Inc. (TSX: MDS; NYSE: MDZ) is a global life-sciences
company that provides market-leading products and services that our
customers need for the development of drugs, and the diagnosis and
treatment of disease. We are a leading global provider of
pharmaceutical contract research, medical isotopes for molecular
imaging, radiotherapeutics, and analytical instruments. MDS has
more than 5,000 highly skilled people in 29 countries. Find out
more at http://www.mdsinc.com/ or by calling 1-888-MDS-7222, 24
hours a day. DATASOURCE: MDS Inc. CONTACT: Media: Tom Driscoll,
(408) 747-3681, ; Investors: Kim Lee, (416) 213-4721,
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