Qiagen enters protein glycoanalysis deal
agreement, which targets the emerging field of protein
glycoanalysis. The combination of Qproteome products with
Procognia's On-Chip Glycoanalysis technology aims to create a host
of "guided fractionation" solutions.
Under the terms of the agreement, Qiagen has obtained an exclusive license from Procognia Limited to market and sell Procognia's proprietary "on-chip" protein glycoanalysis technology. Financial terms were not disclosed.
This latest move by Qiagen is an attempt to extend the appeal of its launched Qproteome protein fractionation product line, which has applications in life science research, including drug development and clinical research.
The deal sees Procognia's "on-chip" glycoanalysis products, which consist of lectin chips and analytical software developed and manufactured by Procognia combined with Qiagen's QProteome product line to create, "guided fractionation" solutions which address unmet needs in proteomics and systems biology.
The novel protein glycoanalysis technology aims to address the unmet need for the preparation and understanding of proteins in the emerging field of glycomics.
Qiagen's focus within protein sample preparation began with the launch of the QProteome product line in January 2005. This offering integrated technologies into a portfolio of consumable products for the fractionation, enrichment and depletion of target protein classes.
A number of protein classes (fractions) are differentiated from each other by modifications incurred during protein synthesis. One such modification is the addition of highly variable oligosaccharide chains (glycans). Today, a significant area of research is focused on these glycosylated proteins (glycomics) as glycosylation influences folding, function, specificity and activity of a protein.
Procognia's technology creates a novel dimension in differentiation of the glycosylation patterns of proteins and thereby allows further sub-fractionation of the target proteins, providing higher resolution than previously possible.
"By integrating Procognia's "on-chip" glycoanalysis into our Qproteome line, we are creating novel "guided-fractionation" solutions for the exciting field of glycomics," said Peer Schatz, Qiagen's chief executive officer. "We expect this technology to significantly accelerate Qiagen's leadership in preanalytical solutions in this rapidly growing area of proteomics."
