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Protagen and Tomy Digital Biology announce distribution agreement for
Modiro™ in Japan |
Agreement provides access to software for analysing post-translational
modifications in Asia
Dortmund, Germany and New Jersey, USA - 11 December 2007 - Protagen AG, a
leading provider of products, services and software solutions for protein
research, announced today that it has entered into a distribution agreement for
its Bio-IT software product, Modiro™ – the PTM-Explorer with Tomy Digital
Biology Co. Ltd of Tokyo, Japan.
Modiro™ was launched in the market in March this year, and the initial sales
figures have demonstrated how valuable first-class software for the qualitative
analysis of post-translational modifications (PTMs) is to protein researchers.
Protagen has been successful in positioning Modiro™ in both Europe and the USA,
and expects increasing sales of the product in these markets. Through this
agreement with Tomy Digital Biology, Protagen will gain an established
distributor for the commercialisation of its product in the Japanese market.
Tomy Digital Biology has been established for over 40 years and has a good
reputation amongst Japan’s researchers, supplying research institutes such as
the Riken-Brain Institute and the Osaka National Research Institute. The
exclusive rights for distribution of Modiro™ in Japan granted to Tomy Digital
Biology will help to secure its leading position as a professional provider of
Bio-IT software and associated products.
Post-translational protein modifications modulate the activity of many proteins
and the analysis of these changes is of growing importance in the research and
development of new drug candidates. Modiro™ enables researchers to identify
significantly more of these critical modifications using existing
mass-spectrometry data. In addition, by automating the identification of PTMs,
the PTM-Explorer reduces the time needed for protein analysis.
Dr Christoph Hüls, CEO of Protagen, said: “The signing of this commercialisation
agreement demonstrates the continued advance of Protagen into the Asian market,
which began with the research collaboration with Kangdi Antibody Biotech and
Bejing Proteome Research Centre announced earlier this year.”
-Ends-
About Protagen AG
Protagen ( www.protagen.com ) is a leading
provider of products, services and software solutions for protein research.
Operating internationally to provide customers with products and services of the
highest quality, Protagen has offices in Dortmund, Germany and New Jersey, USA.
The Company has a decade of experience in applying the most advanced protein
research tools and techniques to improve the efficiency of the drug discovery
and development process.
As an innovator in protein biochips, Protagen has developed UNIclone®, a patent
protected platform for protein expression libraries and protein arrays, and
UNIchip®, a versatile and highly efficient series of protein biochip products
for antibody development. In addition, it has established UNIarrayTM, a highly
efficient technology platform for biomarker discovery on an industrial scale.
Protagen has recently received a BioChance Plus grant from the German government
to identify biomarkers for Multiple Sclerosis and Rheumatoid Arthritis.
Protagen provides customers with a flexible service program, including protein
analysis and identification, differential protein display, antibody validation
and specification, antigen identification, and full data management services.
Protagen AG is privately owned and has closed two financing rounds: at the end
of 2004 and in spring 2006. Shareholders of Protagen AG, besides the founders
and the management team, are S-Venture Capital Dortmund GmbH and MIG AG & Co KG
Beteiligungsfonds 1 and 3.
About Tomy Digital Biology Co. Ltd
Tomy Digital Biology (www.digital-biology.co.jp) provides new technologies and
solutions for the optimisation of research in the life sciences in the
post-genomic era. Various experimental methods from the three areas of in vitro,
in vivo and in silico are combined to achieve this. Tomy Digital Biology is the
only company in Japan that supplies complete solutions of this kind. The Company
draws on more than 40 years business experience in the life sciences arena.
Contact
Dr. Christoph Hüls
CEO
Protagen AG
Otto-Hahn-Str. 15
44227 Dortmund
Tel: +49 (0) 231 9742 6300
Fax: +49 (0) 231 9742 6301
E-Mail: info@protagen.com
For English media enquiries
Lorna Cuddon, Gemma Price, Holly Griffiths
College Hill
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7457 2020
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7866 7900
E-mail: protagen@collegehill.com | |
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