SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 12, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Protea Biosciences Group, Inc. (OTCQB:PRGB) ("Protea") announced today that it has developed a new software platform, known as "Histology Guided Mass Spec Imaging (HG-MSI)", that enables pathologists to combine traditional microscopy and histology with high resolution mass spectrometry molecular imaging. The Company made the announcement today while presenting at the Biotech Showcase™ 2015 Conference being held in San Francisco, CA along with the J.P. Morgan 33rd Annual Healthcare Conference.
"We are pleased to announce the availability of mass spec imaging services that employ our Histology Guided Mass Spec Imaging Software suite to target specific morphologies of tissue samples, enabling the integration of mass spec-based molecular information with traditional optical microscopic analysis," stated Steve Turner, Protea's Chairman and CEO. He commented, "Understanding the molecular differences between select cell sub-populations can be useful for the identification and characterization of biomarkers within these regions that can improve the differential diagnosis of cancer and other human disease."
The Company's HG-MSI software allows researchers to share, annotate, and direct the analysis of specific tissue morphologies and cell subpopulations by mass spec imaging. The Company has used its HG-MSI software in its previously announced collaboration with researchers at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) for the molecular profiling of cell sub-populations in lung adenocarcinoma tissues. Additional information regarding Protea's HG-MSI software can be found through the following link https://proteabio.com/imaging/Histology+Guided+Mass+Spectrometry.
With HG-MSI, molecular profiling data are collected from discrete locations within a tissue section using a histology stained section as a guide. The digital tissue scans are visually analyzed by pathologists, who then annotate specific areas for further analysis. The annotated areas are then targeted by mass spectrometry to acquire a chemical fingerprint of the representative area. This chemical information can then be used to identify specific molecules of interest and map the biomolecules present in a visualized morphology. This workflow is applicable to all classes of biomolecules (e.g. proteins, peptides, lipids, metabolites) and can be carried out on both fresh frozen and formalin fixed, paraffin embedded (FFPE) tissue specimens.
Protea has developed a web-based portal and software for the uploading and sharing of microscope quality digital pathology images. This web interface can be accessed via any device (e.g. laptop, tablet, cell phone, etc.) allowing the end user to visualize, annotate, and download microscopy images from anywhere in the world. The development of the ProteaScope portal and HG-MSI workflow and service enables researchers to obtain molecular information from specific regions of tissues, combining optical morphology with spatial biomolecular information.
About Protea Biosciences Group, Inc.
Protea Biosciences Group, Inc. (OTCQB:PRGB) is a molecular information company providing innovative bioanalytical solutions to the pharmaceutical and life science industries. "Molecular information" refers to the generation and bioinformatic processing of very large data sets, obtained by applying the Company's technology to identify and characterize the proteins, metabolites, lipids and other biomolecules which are the byproducts of all living cells and life forms.
The Company is applying its technology to the development of next generation, "direct molecular imaging" technology and service capabilities that enable more rapid and comprehensive molecular profiling of human disease.
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Protea and LAESI are registered trademarks of Protea Biosciences Group, Inc.