PROTEA ANNOUNCES EXCLUSIVE LICENSE AGREEMENT WITH JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY…. Collaboration will focus on the development of new protein tests for cardiovascular disease
Backgrounder
Protea Biosciences, announced today that it has entered into an exclusive license agreement with Johns Hopkins University (JHU) for technology developed in the laboratory of Jennifer Van Eyk, PhD., Professor of Medicine, the Division of Cardiology, Biological Chemistry and Biomedical Engineering, where a team of JHU researchers have discovered that proteins that are bound to human serum albumin, as well as the albumin molecule itself, can yield important new data for improving cardiovascular disease diagnosis and management.
What is “human serum albumin” and what did the Hopkins researchers discover? The most abundant protein in human serum is albumin, accounting for more than 60% of our total serum proteins. Albumin plays several important roles, including maintaining normal blood volume and fluid balance. It also binds many drugs, proteins, hormones and other chemicals, helping to distribute these compounds around the body to different organ systems, and acting as a storage reservoir.
Despite its abundance, human serum albumin has not received the complete research attention it deserves. In fact, for most blood tests and even sophisticated protein analyses, the albumin fraction must first be removed (and usually discarded) to get it “out of the way” of the smaller quantities of proteins of interest. Until recently, albumin was regarded as largely uniform in composition, structure and function, with only a few diseases having been recognized that alter the quantity or quality of this important protein. Furthermore, current albumin separation techniques rely heavily on methods that denature the albumin (and the biomarkers it carries) resulting in samples that do not accurately reflect the native state.
A research team at Johns Hopkins University has demonstrated clearly that human serum albumin, and many proteins carried by albumin, can change significantly, and
that albumin contains much more useful information than previously thought. This information is fundamentally important to basic science researchers and clinicians alike, and will have far-reaching consequences. Just as the terms genome and proteome now have common meanings and significance, the term albuminome will be accepted and used.
The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine includes two departments, the Johns Hopkins NHLBI Proteomics Center and the Middle Atlantic Mass Spectrometry Center. These two laboratories collaborated to study peptides and proteins that are bound to human serum albumin, as well as the albumin molecule itself. Their interest stems from the concern that when albumin is separated and discarded from proteomic samples, potentially significant biomarkers for diseases may be lost. The initial investigations they made helped to identify at least 35 different proteins, or peptide fragments of proteins, that are carried by albumin. At least 26 of these are recognized as potential biomarkers for different diseases, and several have relevance to cardiovascular disease. Nine potential biomarkers are found only bound to albumin; furthermore, the albumin molecule itself can become significantly altered in disease, as well. The 35 albumin-bound proteins identified so far appear to be “just the tip of the iceberg,” with more waiting to be discovered.
What products will Protea develop? Using proprietary technology, Protea will create new products that will be specifically engineered to “capture” human serum albumin from blood samples, and separate it in its native, intact state from other compounds found in serum. Protea will then use its new “albumin capture” products to develop a family of new cardiovascular diagnostic tests, to improve patient care, and to use for the development of new treatments for cardiovascular disease.
Most drugs have some degree of protein binding, and the majority of protein-bound drugs in circulation are bound to human serum albumin. If diseases affect the albuminome, then those diseases are likely to affect protein-bound drug levels as well. At some point, the FDA might require additional albumin testing studies for all protein- bound drugs, which would generate a growing need for Protea’s albumin-based products and services.
What was discovered by Johns Hopkins about myocardial ischemia In addition, the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine found that the albumin molecule can undergo a specific alteration during myocardial ischemia (lack of adequate blood flow/oxygen delivery to the heart) that can serve as a biomarker for the problem.
This has enormous clinical significance, since cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death and disability world-wide. Physicians need specific, sensitive and accurate tests to decide when a patient has myocardial ischemia. Developing albumin separation products that rapidly and efficiently capture these kinds of albumin will help shorten the time for accurate diagnosis.
What are proteins and why are they important? Proteins are the biologically active products of our genes. They are the “goods and services” of cells in all life forms. All biological functions undertaken by cells are initiated and carried out by proteins. Proteins are composed of varying sequences of amino acids - the building blocks of protein. The information to synthesize proteins is encoded in a cell’s DNA. Depending upon the type of cell, about 10% of a cell’s mass may be comprised of protein. It is estimated that over 100,000 proteins are circulating in our bloodstream at any given time.
Discovering proteins that are specific to human diseases is the crucial knowledge required for the development of new therapeutics. Protein discovery holds the promise to generate unprecedented opportunities for new healthcare products and services. The estimated 37,000 genes in the human genome may spawn anywhere from 200,000 to 400,000 proteins. Given that most drugs either act at the protein level or are themselves proteins (known as “biopharmaceuticals”), the development of the next generation of therapeutics will depend, to a large extent, on the discovery of new protein “targets” that are in disease-specific pathways.
Glossary of Terms:
Albumin and the albuminome - Albumin is the most prevalent human protein circulating in our bloodstream, and has a number of important functions including maintaining circulatory blood volume, as well as the binding and transport of numerous important compounds. The albuminome refers to the entire complement of the proteins that bind to albumin.
Biomarker - A biomarker is used here to describe a specific protein, or a change in a protein’s structure, that identifies the presence of a specific disease or condition.
Genome - The complete complement of genes (DNA) of an organism, organized in a set of chromosomes (one chromosome in the case of bacteria, or a single DNA or RNA molecule in the case of a virus).
Myocardial ischemia – The deficiency of blood supply and/or oxygen to the heart muscle caused by the obstruction or constriction of the coronary arteries.
Protein – Composed of amino acids, proteins are the principal components of a cell’s cytoplasm. Each protein has a precise and unique structure, as determined by the gene that codes for the protein, which determines the protein’s specific shape and function.
Proteome/ Proteomics –A proteome is the entire complement of proteins expressed by a genome, cell, tissue or organism. Proteomics is the study of sets of proteins and their interactions at given times under normal or disease conditions.
For more Information:
Steve Turner, CEO, stephen.turner@proteabio.com
Protea Biosciences, Inc., 955 Hartman Run Road, Morgantown, WV 26507
Ph: 304.292.2226 Fx: 304.292.7101
http://www.proteabio.com
Posted by Matt Livengood on July 21, 2009 at 8:27 am in the following categories: Protea Biosciences
