New Application of ChemiGenius2 To Analyse Large Proteins Associated with Type 2 Diabetes

January 20th 2005 Cambridge, UK:  Syngene, a world-leading manufacturer of image analysis solutions, is pleased to announce that its ChemiGenius2 chemiluminescent image analysis system is being used at the highly respected UK university, the University of Warwick, to analyse a range of proteins associated with Type 2 diabetes.

Scientists at the University of Warwick are using the ChemiGenius2 to analyse proteins including adiponectin, which can form structures of up to and exceeding 220 kD, on chemiluminescent Western blots stained with ECL. Adiponectin has been linked with protecting against type 2 diabetes and researchers at Warwick are hoping information on the protein’s structural forms could help with designing drugs to control this condition.

Dr Philip McTernan, a Lecturer in the Division of Clinical Sciences at the University of Warwick commented: “Before we had our ChemiGenius2 systems, we used to label our blots with 125I and analyse the results with a PhosphoImager or we used ECL and exposed our blots to film manually. However, working with radioactivity or performing manual exposures can be problematic both in optimising the antibodies and time taken to run several blots per experiment, therefore we decided we had to look for new technologies providing quicker alternatives.”

“As the adiponectin protein we work on is known to form high molecular weight structures we have investigated how these structures may be altered in disease states and fat cells. These structures can be difficult to detect on a mini-sized gel due to their ability to form multi-dimers. Therefore to overcome this problem we have been optimising adiponectin on longer gels to get the better separation. However difficulties can arise in finding a system with the capacity to visualise larger gels and gather data quickly. One of the main advantages of using the ChemiGenius2 is that you can use it to automatically analyse gels or chemiluminescent blots of up to 20 x 30 cm and this is one reason we now have two of these systems to automate our work,” added Dr McTernan.

Laura Sullivan, Syngene’s Divisional Manager added: “The ChemiGenius2 was thoughtfully designed with a motor driven zoom lens and camera inside a spacious darkroom so it could be used for imaging large gels or blots. We are delighted to see this application in action at Warwick because it shows how any research involving detecting high molecular weight proteins can benefit from using a ChemiGenius2.”

-Ends-

For Further Information Contact:
Jayne Arthur, Syngene, Beacon House, Nuffield Road, Cambridge, CB4 1TF, UK.
Tel: +44(0) 1223-727123 Fax +44 (0) 1223-727101
Email: jayne.arthur@syngene.com  Web site: www.syngene.com  

Philip McTernan, Lecturer, University of Warwick, Division of Clinical Sciences,
Clinical Sciences Research Wing, Clifford Bridge Road, Walsgrave, Coventry CV2 2DX, UK.
Tel: +44 (0) 247-6968587 Fax: +44 (0) 247-6968653
Email: philip.mcternan@warwick.ac.uk  Web site: www.warwick.ac.uk

Editor Contact:
Dr Sue Pearson, PO Box 170, Hitchin, Hertfordshire SG5 3GD, UK.
Tel/Fax +44 (0) 1462-635327 Email: sue6.pearson@ntlworld.com

Note to Editors

About Syngene

Syngene is a world-leading supplier of integrated imaging solutions for analysis and documentation of gel-based information. Syngene’s systems are used by more than 10,000 research organisations and over 50,000 individual scientists world-wide and include many of the world’s top pharmaceutical companies and major research institutes.

Syngene, founded in 1997 is a division of the Cambridge based Synoptics Group. The Group’s other divisions, Syncroscopy and Synbiosis, specialise in digital imaging solutions for microscopy and microbial applications respectively. Synoptics currently employs 50 people in its UK and subsidiary operation in Frederick, USA. The Group has profitable revenue of almost $10 million and continues to grow rapidly.

About the Division of Clinical Sciences

Based in Coventry, UK, the Division of Clinical Sciences was established in April 2003 as part of the Warwick Medical School at the University of Warwick. The Division is focused on research within cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, reproductive health and clinical effectiveness.