Released on = August 7, 2006, 4:20 pm

Press Release Author = Debra Thai

Industry = Biotech

Press Release Summary = The development of photonic ligands for imaging Ab plaques
and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) in vivo in the aging human brain is an important
and active research topic.

Press Release Body = When used in combination with positron emission tomography
(PET) or single photon emission computed tomography (SPECK), amyloid-imaging tracers
can facilitate the evaluation of the efficacy of anti-amyloid therapies.
Amyloid-imaging reagents can also serve as surrogate markers in early diagnosis and
neuropathogenesis studies of Alzheimer\'s disease and other aging-related
neurodegenerative disorders. The structures of these Ab-imaging reagents vary from
large proteins and peptides such as radiolabeled Ab peptides and monoclonal
antibodies to small molecules derived from Congo red, Chrysamine-G, thioflavin-T and
Acridine Orange. In vitro studies indicate that amyloid plaques contain multiple
binding sites that can accommodate structurally diverse compounds, providing
flexibility for designing amyloid imaging agents. Compared to large biomolecules,
small photonic tracers are often readily accessible through chemical synthesis and
can display superior brain permeability. Several small amyloid-imaging photonic
ligands display high binding affinities to Ab and sufficient brain penetration for
imaging studies. Recent studies demonstrate the feasibility of imaging amyloid
plaques in vivo in human subjects with PET.

To address the imaging needs of b-amyloid research, AnaSpec offers the following
colorimetric and fluorometric imaging reagents for b-amyloids. These reagents are
highly purified and suitable for neurostaining.

· BSB
· BTA-1
· BTA-2
· Chrysamine G
· Congo Red *UltraPure Grade*
· Half Chrysamine G
· Thioflavin T *UltraPure Grade*

For more information visit www.anaspec.com



Web Site = http://www.anaspec.com

Contact Details = 2149 O\'Toole Ave.
San Jose, CA 95131
408-452-5055
408-452-5059 fax
info@anaspec.com
service@anaspec.com
marketing@anaspec.com