PS Biomarker Services has developed a toolkit combining gel-based and gel-free proteomics applications to provide integrated workflows for biomarker discovery, validation and implementation and rapid assay development across disease management and drug development programs. In addition to expert application of generic proteomic technologies, Proteome Sciences has established a range of proprietary techniques in chemical mass tagging centred on its Tandem Mass Tag (TMT®) product range for the gel-free identification and relative quantitation of cellular and body fluid proteins with a strong focus on membrane and nuclear proteins. These applications and workflows provide considerable improvements in terms of reproducibility, accuracy and quantitation of biomarker discovery and validation studies and offer tools for the rapid development and introduction of biomarker assays.

Components and Applications

PS Biomarker Services focuses on the discovery and validation of protein and peptide biomarkers to support clinical medicine and drug development. Proteome Sciences has developed specific workflows, including the subtraction of high abundant proteins for analysis of body fluids, and TMT Reference Materials and TMTcalibrator for discovery and validation of biomarkers in early clinical trials.

All biomarker discovery and validation workflows are supported by comprehensive bioinformatics tools that support relative and absolute quantitation, automated protein and peptide identification and in depth analysis of biological significance through public and proprietary database searches.

For the routine measurement of biomarkers we have developed a range of assay formats based on traditional immunoassay platforms (ELISA, Western blot, immunohistochemistry) and have developed mass spectrometry-based assays using TMTcalibrator and multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) strategies. By using TMTcalibrator and so removing the need for antibodies it is possible in under three months to develop a single assay capable of quanititatively measuring multiple proteins requiring small volumes (typically 1-5 µl of plasma/CSF).

PS Biomarker Services provides the integrated proteomics workflows required to meet the demands of biomarker discovery, validation and implementation and the development of rapid MS assays.