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New Studies Discover Biomarkers for Early Heart Disease, Thyroid Cancer Using Applied Biosystems Expression Array System

Posted on: Wednesday, 14 September 2005, 09:00 CDT

Biomarker Studies from Harvard Medical School, Trinity College

Dublin Feature Advanced Gene Expression Technologies for Clinical

Diagnosis and Prognosis

Findings from research studies presented at the 12th Annual Chips to Hits(R) Conference this week report the discovery of new biomarkers in several diseases, including early heart disease and thyroid cancer, using advanced gene expression technologies from Applied Biosystems (NYSE:ABI), an Applera Corporation business.

Preliminary data from Harvard Medical School identified several genes that may play a critical role in the development of early heart disease. Researchers are investigating three biomarkers that may indicate healthy endothelium or blood vessel lining.

"Dysfunctional endothelium lining is a primary cause of heart disease. Studying the genetic underpinnings of blood vessel lining will help us identify the molecular operations of early heart disease," said Guillermo Garcia-Cardena, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Pathology, Harvard Medical School. "With Applied Biosystems Expression Array System, we have been able to characterize distinct phenotypes at the molecular level and identify novel genes bringing us closer to understanding heart disease."

In addition, data from Trinity College Dublin evaluated key biomarkers for Papillary Thyroid Cancer, the most common form of thyroid cancer, using the Applied Biosystems Expression Array System. Findings confirm identified biomarkers have the potential to significantly improve diagnostic accuracy and prognostics of thyroid cancer.

"As our latest generation of gene expression technologies, including our Expression Array System, TaqMan(R) Genomic Assays, TaqMan(R) Low Density Arrays, and Real-Time PCR systems, continue to gain traction in the industry, we are delighted to see exciting results being generated by researchers in important areas, such as biomarker identification. These biomarkers may result in clinical diagnostics and targeted therapeutics for serious diseases," said Dennis A. Gilbert, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer for Applied Biosystems.

Guillermo Garcia-Cardena, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Pathology, Harvard Medical School will present at the "Molecular Markers of Healthy Blood Vessels" session on Thursday, September 15, 2005 at 9:45 a.m.

Orla Sheils Ph.D., Senior Lecturer, Molecular Pathology, Histopathology, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland will present at the "Biomarkers of Papillary Thyroid Cancer" session on Thursday, September 15, 2005 at 1 p.m.

Other presentations featuring the Applied Biosystems Expression Array System include: -- Developing Practical, Predictive Models for Disease Research and their Application to Clinical Research Trials Wednesday, September 14, 2:45 p.m. Yulei Wang, Ph.D., Gene Expression R&D, Applied Biosystems This session will discuss gene expression profiling using real-time PCR and TaqMan(R) Gene Expression Assays to predict survival in lymphoma. Dr. Wang will demonstrate Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) as a case study for successful application of the method to biomarker development and its potential for translation into clinical research applications. -- Large Scale Validation of Two Microarray Platforms with TaqMan(R) Assays Wednesday, September 14, 2:15 p.m. Raymond R. Samaha, Ph.D., Senior Manager, Gene Expression R&D, Applied Biosystems This presentation will reveal findings from a large scale TaqMan(R) assay validation study used to validate the Applied Biosystems Expression Array System in terms of sensitivity, specificity, reproducibility, and accuracy of gene expression measurements. Dr. Samaha will outline the results of the study, which generated gene expression profiles for more than 1,300 genes across three human tissues and one reference sample. These results were compared to profiles generated from the Applied Biosystems Human Genome Arrays and a second commercially available microarray platform. More information, including presentation times and locations, can be found at http://www.chipstohits.com/.

About Applera Corporation and Applied Biosystems

Applera Corporation consists of two operating groups. The Applied Biosystems Group serves the life science industry and research community by developing and marketing instrument-based systems, consumables, software, and services. Customers use these tools to analyze nucleic acids (DNA and RNA), small molecules, and proteins to make scientific discoveries, develop new pharmaceuticals, and conduct standardized testing. Applied Biosystems is headquartered in Foster City, CA, and reported sales of nearly $1.8 billion during fiscal 2005. The Celera Genomics Group (NYSE:CRA) is engaged principally in the discovery and development of targeted therapeutics for cancer, autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Celera Genomics is leveraging its proteomic, bioinformatic, and genomic capabilities to identify and validate drug targets, and to discover and develop small molecule therapeutics. It is also seeking to advance therapeutic antibody and selected small molecule drug programs in collaboration with global technology and market leaders. Celera Diagnostics, a 50/50 joint venture between Applied Biosystems and Celera Genomics, is focused on discovery, development, and commercialization of diagnostic products. Information about Applera Corporation, including reports and other information filed by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission, is available at http://www.applera.com, or by telephoning 800-762-6923. Information about Applied Biosystems is available at http://www.appliedbiosystems.com/.

Applied Biosystems Forward Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking. These may be identified by the use of forward-looking words or phrases such as "should" among others. These forward-looking statements are based on Applera Corporation's current expectations. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a "safe harbor" for such forward-looking statements. In order to comply with the terms of the safe harbor, Applera Corporation notes that a variety of factors could cause actual results and experience to differ materially from the anticipated results or other expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements. These factors include but are not limited to: (1) rapidly changing technology and dependence on the development and customer acceptance of new products; (2) sales dependent on customers' capital spending policies and government-sponsored research; (3) unproven use of genomics information to develop or commercialize products; (4) claims for patent infringement; and (5) other factors that might be described from time to time in Applera Corporation's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All information in this press release is as of the date of the release, and Applera does not undertake any duty to update this information, including any forward-looking statements, unless required by law.

For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.

TaqMan Assays: The PCR process and 5' nuclease process are covered by patent owned by Roche Molecular Systems, Inc. and F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, and by patents owned or licensed to Applera Corporation. Further information on purchasing licenses may be obtained from the Director of Licensing, Applied Biosystems, 850 Lincoln Centre Drive, Foster City, California 94404, USA.

(C)Copyright 2005. Applera Corporation. All rights reserved. Applied Biosystems and Celera are registered trademarks and Applera and Celera Genomics are trademarks of Applera Corporation or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and/or certain other countries.

TaqMan is a registered trademark of Roche Molecular Systems, Inc.

Source: Business Wire

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