Press Releases
Evotec Streamlines Testing of Quarter Million Compounds with Promega HaloTag® Technology
MADISON, WISCONSIN (May 27, 2009)
Evotec recently completed its largest screening project
with the use of Promega HaloTag® technology. Evotec reported
screening over 250,000 unique compounds on live cells with
an assay designed to detect the internalization of a novel
membrane receptor. The results identified compounds that
have potential to be first in class for the therapeutic
area.
After extensive testing, Evotec reported that HaloTag
delivered the strongest performance compared to other
technologies. In contrast to other fluorescent proteins, the
proteins fused with HaloTag do not fluoresce until the
HaloTag binds a fluorescent ligand. HaloTag allowed Evotec
scientists to specifically label receptors with low
background levels and increased sensitivity compared to
other technologies.
The screen was conducted with a throughput of over 10,000
compounds per day on a confocal plate imager, using a stably
transfected cell line. After labeling the surface pool of
receptors, compounds were screened for their ability to
inhibit receptor internalization,
"We are pleased to be able to provide our customers with
such rich information, so quickly," says Mark Slack, Senior
Scientist at Evotec. "It is advanced technologies like HaloTag
that continue to expand our capabilities and service to our
pharmaceutical and biotech partners."
Cell surface receptors are frequently targeted for new drug
compounds, and their localization in the cell often governs
their cellular activity. Promega has specifically developed
ligands for HaloTag of differing colors; some that do not
enter the cell on their own along with ligands that do
passively enter the cell. Using these tools, scientists can
label different pools of HaloTag proteins- those inside and
those on the cell surface.
About Promega
Promega Corporation is a leader in
providing innovative solutions and technical support to the life
sciences industry. The company's 2,000 products enable
scientists worldwide to advance their knowledge in genomics,
proteomics, cellular analysis, molecular diagnostics and human
identification. Founded in 1978, the company is headquartered in
Madison, WI, USA with branches in 14 countries and over 50
global distributors. For more information about Promega, visit
www.promega.com
About Evotec
Evotec, with headquarters in Hamburg, Germany, is a leader
in the discovery and development of novel small molecule
drugs. The Company has established a powerful platform that
is applicable to targets across all therapeutic areas and
has specific expertise in the area of Central Nervous System
(CNS) related diseases where it is building a
pipeline of drug candidates for partnering.
Contacts:
Promega
Penny Patterson
Promega Corporation
Tel: +1 608 274 4330
E-mail:
penny.patterson@promega.com
Evotec
Mark Slack
Evotec AG
E-mail: mark.slack@evotec.com
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For more information about a new release article or about Promega in general, contact Penny Patterson at 1-608-274-4330 or complete this form.