Product Reach

Clinical research and molecular diagnostics labs are constantly finding new ways to better diagnose and provide treatment. They have accessed a broad range of Promega offerings including Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) reagents, instruments, and custom solutions to meet specific requirements. Throughout the pandemic, Promega was fully engaged in serving needs related to COVID-19. By the end of 2020, Promega products supported approximately 30 COVID-19 test kits marketed by diagnostic manufacturers around the world; an estimated 725 clinical labs worldwide were using Promega products to process patient samples for COVID-19 testing; and Promega provided enough amplification reagents and enzymes to enable testing an estimated 735 million samples for SARS-CoV-2.

Microsatellite Instability Testing - Promega MSI Analysis (research use) System is a gold standard MSI assay in clinical research. The OncoMate™ MSI product became available as an in-vitro diagnostic (CE-IVD) to the European market in March 2020. It enables labs to determine MSI status in tumor tissue when diagnosing and treating cancer patients. In addition to being an indicator of hereditary cancer syndromes, MSI status is recognized as a key factor in determining if patients are eligible for a new and effective class of oncology drugs, PD-1 inhibitors, that are having dramatic results in extending the lives of late-stage cancer patients.

Academic and government researchers work on the front lines of discovery. Many of these scientists are currently engaged in massive worldwide efforts to develop a more comprehensive understanding of SARS-CoV-2 biology to develop sensitive detection methods, drug treatments and vaccine options. Promega offers collaborative technical support and a broad portfolio of reagents and instruments that streamline workflows and expedite the work of research labs studying coronaviruses, as well as the many labs engaged in answering a vast array of complex biological questions that vitally affect our world. Promega continues to develop and improve technologies from nucleic acid isolation and PCR, to advanced assays for cellular biology, metabolism, 3D cellular structures and organoids, to protein manipulation and CRISPR knock-ins for tagging cell lines. These advanced tools help researchers successfully publish results, fulfill their research programs and explore scientific frontiers.

Pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries are accelerating methods in drug discovery thanks to advanced techniques that get to answers faster. Promega bioluminescent technologies are powerful tools that enable scientists a real-time approach to learning. Promega technologies support research for both small molecule drugs and biological medicines.

• Small Molecule Drugs - The process of small molecule drug discovery can be complex and challenging. At early phases, researchers may screen more than 100,000 compounds at once to identify leads that can be further optimized and turned into new drugs. The availability of reliable and predictable high-throughput compatible assays serves a crucial step toward discovering new safe and effective drugs. Small molecule drugs treat a variety of conditions, are chemically synthesized and can enter cells easily to affect specific target proteins.
• Biological Medicines - Biologics are large molecules with complex, heterogeneous structures. Due to their high degree of complexity, the development of biologics drugs requires a comprehensive set of quantitative, accurate and precise bioanalytical tools. Biological medicines tend to be at the forefront of modern medical advances.
• During the pandemic when graduate students, post-docs and PIs in academic research labs were working in shifts to reduce the density of people in the lab, Promega’s Thaw-and-Use cell-based assays helped scientists continue their work without the need to continuously culture cells. Many of our Pharma and Biotech clients also outsourced important research projects to our Elite Access Services so Promega’s scientists could assist in the continuation of their research and discovery programs.

Scientists working in applied fields like environmental and food testing provide a wide range of checks and balances from testing for contaminants and viruses to confirming genetic make-up. Promega technologies support these molecular-based methods to solve problems and expedite results for the following types of testing:

• Water Quality – Microbiological analysis of drinking water and industrial water systems is crucial for protecting public health and infrastructure integrity. The luminescence-based technology in the Promega Water-Glo™ System allows consistent low-level detection of all live microbes in minutes, providing an ideal early warning system for environmental and industrial water monitoring. In 2020, Promega developed protocols specifically for detecting SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater, as well as a new product, the SARS-CoV-2 RT-qPCR Kit for Wastewater, in response to this emerging customer need.
• Plants and Food – Testing of DNA in plant tissues is an important process in various fields of agricultural research, including crop trait development and seed quality control. Food testing ensures that food products are pathogen-free and safe for consumption. DNA extraction chemistries are also used to purify nucleic acids from food, seeds or plants for use in downstream GMO testing to confirm the amount of GMO present in plant or food samples and ensure compliance with EU and global regulations.
• Cosmetics – Promega bioluminescence-based assays have been the gold standard used in research and drug discovery applications for many years. These simple “add-mix-measure” assays also provide a scalable way to assess cosmetic formulations for toxicity/irritants without using animal testing.

Labs engaged in the work of DNA-based human identification are obtaining DNA from biological samples to develop investigative leads from crime scenes, help bring closure to the families of loved ones lost in mass disasters, or even help exonerate people wrongly convicted of a crime. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) and massively parallel sequencing (MPS) are two common methods used for human identification in forensic and paternity testing labs. Promega offers reagents and instrumentation for both CE and MPS analysis workflows and supports these products with specialized teams of former forensic DNA practitioners who assist laboratories with applications training, validation of DNA analysis methods, as well as with setup and maintenance of equipment for workflow automation. Promega has worked with human identification laboratories since the emergence of DNA forensics 30 years ago.