New approach to intra-cellular investigations

A new approach to intra-cellular investigations is becoming popular among researchers which uses Protea’s proprietary Laser Ablation Electrospray Ionization LAESI(R) technology to produce rapid identification times.

Recent reasearch led by led by Dr. Akos Vertes of George Washington University in collaboration with scientists from  George Mason University (VA) and researchers at Protea looked into the novel protein and biomarkers found in virally infected white blood cells called B lymphocytes found that LAESI mass spectrometry is a very effective tool for discovering new biomarkers to identify virally-infected cells when combined with multivariate statistical methods.
Biomolecules are particularly useful because they give a good insight into the optimal therapy for a disease. Biomakers indicate the cell’s biological status, and can be monitored to see how they respond to particular drug or cell interaction.

Protea's vice president & general manager Alessandro Baldi, PhD., commented: "LAESI is re-shaping the way researchers are approaching intra-cellular investigations... We envision that this technology will soon expand beyond research. In this case, for instance, once biomarkers are validated with functional studies, LAESI could be used as rapid screening for early diagnosis of disease."

Published by Fiona Griffiths