The 1st user meeting on protein arrays in clinical applications was organized by Protagen, Germany, and focused on the increasing relevance of new markers and marker panels for drug development and therapy. Especially the potential of Protagen's UNIarray® platform technology for identification and validation of reliable biomarkers for indications like Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinsons Disease, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Heart Failure, and Prostate Cancer as well as the technological and biostatistical challenges in production and readout of protein array based multiplex diagnostics were discussed. Initiated by the DGKL [1] Working Group Clinical Proteomics and the MPC[2] , the "1st User Meeting on Protein Arrays for Clinical Applications" took place in the BioMedizinZentrum Dortmund on November 6th, 2009.
The current "Unmet Diagnostic Need" and the relevance of autoantibody signatures for advanced diagnostics and therapies in the indications mentioned above were impressively covered by the speakers' presentations.
Prof. Matthias Schneider, Head of the Rheumatology Department at the University Clinic Duesseldorf stated that "despite the fact that these novel autoantibody based serum diagnostics have not proven yet their robustness in routine applications, the results elaborated together with Protagen are already very impressive and promising".
Dr. Stefan Müllner, CEO of Protagen AG, added " In the last years we were able to establish a distinguished international network of clinical cooperation partners interested in our platform technology, and therefore are well equipped for the multicenter clinical validation of indication specific marker panels."
Dr. Jean-Marc Schlaeppi, Novartis Pharma AG, employs the UNIchip®-Technology of Protagen AG in preclinical development projects of therapeutic antibodies and explained after his talk "We are using these Chips for quantitative ranking of antibody development candidates based on the number of offtargetbinding events".
In summary, an interdisciplinary and comprehensive discussion was started to match the current status in protein array technologies and clinical requirements. A followup meeting is already planned for 2010.
[1] Deutsche Gesellschaft für Klinische Chemie und Laboratoriumsmedizin
[2] Medical Proteome Center, Ruhr University Bochum
The current "Unmet Diagnostic Need" and the relevance of autoantibody signatures for advanced diagnostics and therapies in the indications mentioned above were impressively covered by the speakers' presentations.
Prof. Matthias Schneider, Head of the Rheumatology Department at the University Clinic Duesseldorf stated that "despite the fact that these novel autoantibody based serum diagnostics have not proven yet their robustness in routine applications, the results elaborated together with Protagen are already very impressive and promising".
Dr. Stefan Müllner, CEO of Protagen AG, added " In the last years we were able to establish a distinguished international network of clinical cooperation partners interested in our platform technology, and therefore are well equipped for the multicenter clinical validation of indication specific marker panels."
Dr. Jean-Marc Schlaeppi, Novartis Pharma AG, employs the UNIchip®-Technology of Protagen AG in preclinical development projects of therapeutic antibodies and explained after his talk "We are using these Chips for quantitative ranking of antibody development candidates based on the number of offtargetbinding events".
In summary, an interdisciplinary and comprehensive discussion was started to match the current status in protein array technologies and clinical requirements. A followup meeting is already planned for 2010.
[1] Deutsche Gesellschaft für Klinische Chemie und Laboratoriumsmedizin
[2] Medical Proteome Center, Ruhr University Bochum
