May 28th, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
GeneBio Announces New Addition to its MS Platform Solutions -
SmileMS
Geneva, Switzerland – May 27, 2008 - Geneva Bioinformatics (GeneBio) SA today
announced the addition of a new software platform to its growing suite of
products. SmileMS builds upon GeneBio’s existing mass spectrometry (MS)-driven
franchise and extends it beyond protein analysis to small molecules.
SmileMS is a unique software platform for the identification and analysis of
small molecules by mass spectrometry. Developed in collaboration with the Swiss
Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB) and Prof. Denis Hochstrasser’s group at the
Geneva University Hospitals, SmileMS is an innovative solution that targets an
unmet yet growing need for efficient and automatable processes using LC-MS
techniques for routine daily analysis of small molecules. Though MS
manufacturers are selling an increasing number of instruments for small molecule
analysis, the bioinformatics side of the story remains until now very poorly
addressed. The SmileMS solution tackles this challenge by providing:
1. Robust, machine-independent software for the analysis of MS spectra from
small molecules using the strengths of Phenyx’s scoring & learning algorithm
2. A modern and dynamic user interface enabling users to seamlessly navigate
through and share their results
3. An open database of small molecule spectra allowing each user to further add
both public and private data, enrich their proper search domain and more
importantly share this database with other users as desired
Mass spectrometry has revolutionized the life sciences in many applications.
Small molecule-based MS is an extensive field stretching beyond basic research
to highly professional and production-based applications used in toxicological
analysis in clinics, forensic applications utilized in food control and doping
applications. Major MS manufacturers anticipate with great interest the
increasing variety of applicable uses for this field, as it has the potential to
bring MS to as-yet untapped market segments.
“I am very excited to announce this addition to our existing software suite and
further reinforce our positioning within the blossoming MS field,” said Nasri
Nahas, CEO of GeneBio. “The development and launch of SmileMS is a strong
testament to GeneBio’s ability to quickly adapt to and cope with a constantly
evolving environment by building upon our existing know-how to provide partners
and clients innovative solutions for their demands. SmileMS will position
GeneBio beyond its historical proteomics business and open the gate to a
plethora of new applications and developments in the field of mass spectrometry
that we are anxious to discover with our partners. SmileMS is already being
tested for a number of applications, namely toxicology in clinics, forensic and
food control and a few MS manufacturers have already shown high interest in this
platform. We wish long life for this new member of GeneBio’s product family.”
“The discontinuation by BioRad of the Remedy system has created a real vacancy
in the clinical toxicology laboratories,” said Prof. Denis Hochstrasser, MD,
Chairman of the Department of Laboratory and Genetic Medicine at the Geneva
University Hospitals and co-founder of GeneBio. “Having used GeneBio’s Phenyx
proteomic software for several years in our department, I was intimately
convinced that the algorithm could be used to give something similarly robust to
deal with the challenges raised by small molecule analysis. My lab has been
thoroughly working with the GeneBio team for more than a year now and we are
very happy with the quality of the results SmileMS is producing in its early
version. The tool by far surpasses other tools we have tested for both the
quality of its results, its user-friendliness and most importantly its extreme
flexibility; using the same tool and databases with different separation methods
and instruments as well as sharing the results amongst different users through
Web access show great promise for routine clinical application.”
For more information about SmileMS and for product demonstrations, please visit
GeneBio booth #27 at the upcoming ASMS Conference on Mass Spectrometry in
Denver, Colorado, from June 1-5.
About GeneBio
Geneva Bioinformatics (GeneBio) SA is a leading bioinformatics company providing
the life science community with world-class proteomics software that bridges the
gap between information gathering and knowledge generation. Established in 1997,
we focus our expertise on protein identification and characterization as well as
proteome imaging, offering clients and partners a high degree of specialization
essential to proteomics research. Close ties to academic peers and a thorough
network of distribution and strategic partners give us both unfettered access to
scientific excellence and recognized market presence so that we may best serve
the scientific community. For more information about GeneBio, please visit:
www.genebio.com.
GeneBio contact:
Mr. Andrew Smith
Marketing Manager
andrew.smith@genebio.com
Tel. +41.22.702.99.00
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