Released on = December 18, 2006, 10:59 am

Press Release Author = Anaspec

Industry = Biotech

Press Release Summary = At the annual conference of the American Society for Cell
Biology, AnaSpec presented a technical poster documenting improved technology for
MMP detection assays.

Press Release Body = San Diego, CA - December 15, 2006

At the annual conference of the American Society for Cell Biology, AnaSpec presented
a technical poster documenting improved technology for MMP detection assays. In a
previous poster, AnaSpec documented the use of highly sensitive FRET-peptide
substrates for MMP detection. The latest poster documented the incorporation of
immunocapture technologies to achieve greatly improved specificity.

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) belong to a family of secreted or
membrane-associated zinc endopeptidases capable of digesting extracellular matrix
components. MMPs play roles in the multiple stages of tumor development and
metastasis, rheumatoid arthritis, wound healing, angiogenesis, and other
pathological and physiological events.

When a FRET-peptide based assay for MMPs is used in cell or tissue lysates,
non-specific cleavages by MMPs and other proteases are also measured, which may be
simultaneously present in biological fluids. Since multiple MMPs generally co-exist
in biological samples, the assay employing the FRET peptide alone makes
differentiation between the activities of different MMPs difficult, if not
impossible. To solve this issue, MMP antibodies are used to first immobilize a
specific MMP from biological samples. After washing, the FRET peptide is applied to
measure the activity.

FRET assays that incorporate this immunocapture technology are highly sensitive and
specifically detect the activity of a particular MMP in a mixed biological sample.
The assay sensitivity can reach picogram amounts of enzyme with a large and linear
assay range. The assay can also be used to study the interaction between different
MMPs. Immunocapture-based FRET technology is the backbone of AnaSpec's EnzoLyte
PlusTM MMP Assay Kits.

For more information visit www.anaspec.com



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