SIRS-Lab expands product portfolio Topic-related biochips to greater satisfy customer needs

MUNICH, April 10 (PROTEXT/ots) - The SIRS-Lab GmbH, Jena,Germany, has launched four high-grade biochips at thebiotechnology trade fair BioAnalytika in Munich. Thesepolynucleotide-based biochips combine the most up-to-datedevelopments in the field of bioinformatics with the provenadvantages of existing biochips from the product family "Lab-Arraytor." In addition to comprehensive process control andnormalization procedures, the new biochips from the "Lab-Arraytorhuman 60" series address a specialized selection of genes inaccordance with the current status of biomedical research. Thepresentation of interleukines/interferones, chemokines and theirreceptors, as well as of MAP-kinases, has for the first timeclosed thematic gaps in the application of microarrays inmedical/pharmaceutical research. At the same time, these topic-related biochips make it possible to answer research questions inthe fields of molecular apoptosis and in sphingolipid pathways.

What makes the new "Lab-Arraytor 60" biochips special, is thesignificantly increased specificity of the immobilizedpolynucleotides, which has been achieved through optimization oflength, specific GC-content and the melting point of the probesused. In addition to the usual sequence comparison following theBLAST method, the specificity of the probes could be increasedthrough the use of new types of thermodynamic models. Dr. StefanRußwurm, CEO of the SIRS-Lab GmbH emphasized here that "theexpertise of the iSenselt AG Bremen, an excellent provider ofbioinformatic solutions, was used in the product development. Theintegration of this bioinformation know-how enabled us to clearlyreduce the risk of cross-hybridizations, thus enabling us toprovide the customer with more powerful biochips."

"The number of gene activities addressed on the four newbiochips varies between 41 and 136 genes, depending on thequestion under investigation. With their new biochips the SIRS-Lab GmbH can provide interested researchers with the idealinstrument to investigate special issues in the area of molecularand cell biology," explained Dr. Hans-Peter Deigner, Head of R&D.

The expansion of its product portfolio strengthens the SIRS-Lab GmbH's market position in Europe and supports newexperimental approaches in molecular inflammation and apoptosisresearch. The latest information from the internationalscientific press and from internal research networks are appliedimmediately to the company's products. An in-depth understandingof molecular basic principles will create a significantcontribution to a reevaluation of existing therapy approaches andto the development of new ones for patients with sepsis.

The SIRS-Lab GmbH, a spin-off from the Friedrich SchillerUniversity and the Hans Knöll Institute Jena, began its businessoperations in April 2001. The company's aim is to provide newdiagnostic systems for early diagnosis and therapy control ofgeneralized inflammatory reactions and sepsis. Our current rangeof services also include offers which make use of our applicationcenter as well as complete solutions for customers fromscientific institutes and pharmaceutical companies.Founder and CEO of the SIRS-Lab is Dr. Stefan Rußwurm.Press contact:Roberto C. WolferProduct ManagerSIRS-Lab GmbH, Jena+49 (0)36 41 - 50 82 50info@sirs-lab.de

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