Agilent
Technologies Inc. (NYSE:A) and Stemina
Biomarker Discovery, Inc. today announced efforts to accelerate
Stemina’s metobolomic research. Stemina uses metabolomic analysis of
stem cells for the discovery of biomarkers for use in drug screening and
drug development.
Agilent is providing a 1290
Infinity UHPLC system to separate stem cellular metabolites, coupled
to a 6530
Accurate Mass quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer (Q-TOF MS)
to identify those metabolites. Agilent also is providing Mass
Profiler Professional software to help Stemina researchers interpret
the complex data generated by metabolomics experiments.
“We are pleased to broaden our relationship with Agilent to advance our
scientific platform and our discovery of important small molecules
involved in developmental toxicity and autism,” said Beth Donley,
Stemina CEO. “We have used Agilent technology since Stemina began
operations in 2007 and have been very pleased with the instrumentation,
support and collaboration we have experienced with Agilent.”
“Metabolomics is a major growth area for us, and the innovative work
being done at Stemina is the kind we like to support,” said Gustavo
Salem, Agilent vice president and general manager, Biological Systems
Division. “We’ve aggressively built an LC/MS portfolio for the life
sciences in recent years, and the Mass Profiler Professional software
provides the crucial ability to visualize biological pathways from the
massive and complex data sets generated by metabolomics studies.”
About Stemina Biomarker Discovery, Inc.
The Stemina research team, founded on research by Chief Scientific
Officer Gabriela Cezar, D.V.M., Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer, is
focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of molecular
biomarkers to improve drug safety and human health. Paul R. West, Ph.D.,
is the company’s Director of BioAnalytical Chemistry. Stemina’s cell
based assays arise from the strategic convergence of two cutting edge
technologies: human embryonic stem (hES) cells and metabolomics. Stemina
uses Agilent mass spectrometry systems to analyze the small molecules
secreted by hES cells, and differentiated cells such as heart and neural
cells made from hES cells, in response to drugs, injury or disease. The
company’s research has made significant progress in metabolomic
profiling of human embryonic stem cell response to dosing with
pharmaceutical agents. The result of this work is “devTox™”, an assay to
screen pharmaceutical agents for teratogenicity. Information about
Stemina is available at www.stemina.com.
About Agilent Technologies
Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE:A) is the world’s premier measurement
company and a technology leader in communications, electronics, life
sciences and chemical analysis. The company’s 16,000 employees serve
customers in more than 110 countries. Agilent had net revenues of $4.5
billion in fiscal 2009. Information about Agilent is available on the
Web at www.agilent.com.
NOTE TO EDITORS: Further technology, corporate citizenship and executive
news is available on the Agilent news site at www.agilent.com/go/news.
Agilent
Stuart Matlow, +1 408-553-7191
stuart_matlow@agilent.com
or
Stemina
Beth
Donley, +1 608-577-9209
bdonley@stemina.com