New approach to overcome complexities of developing more effective drugs for treating diseases

Aug 3 2011

Pharmaceutical scientists typically face a meager five percent success rate for anti-cancer drugs in clinical trials. To help improve this success rate, Japanese scientists, led by Dr. Tetsuya Terasaki, one of the top pharmaceutical scientists focused on drug transporters, have developed a new approach designed to overcome complexities of developing new, more effective drugs to treat diseases, including cancer. This approach is focused on advancements in protein identification and quantification and is made possible by new-generation AB SCIEX mass spectrometry technology and Eksigent chip-based nanoLC technology. By knowing the exact amount and type of protein in a patient, researchers will be more equipped to develop new diagnostics and treatments that better determine which medicines will be effective for different patients, ultimately improving healthcare.

Dr. Terasaki and his team at Tohoku University, an internationally recognized university and research center in Japan, are pushing the limits of disease research by identifying and quantifying a much wider range of drug transporter proteins, important functional proteins, such as cytochrome P450 and UGT proteins in complex matrices, and enzymes that activate or inactivate drugs in the body. They believe that more quickly obtaining this vast array of vital information never previously collected in such a complete library will help accelerate the process of advancing protein biomarkers for future use in diagnostics. To propel their research forward, these Japanese researchers chose the AB SCIEX TripleTOF™ 5600 System and Eksigent cHiPLC™-nanoflex system, which helps reproduce assays more easily than previously possible.

As the winner of the 2010 AAPS Pharmaceutical Research Meritorious Manuscript Award for high scientific impact, Dr. Terasaki is building on landmark success with key collaborators and a trusted partnership with AB SCIEX, which provides comprehensive services to meet industry requirements. His research of the blood-brain barrier - an important biological junction that restricts harmful microscopic objects, such as bacteria, from getting into the brain, but in a medical paradox also hinders potentially effective therapeutics - has now paved the way for researchers to replace traditional molecular biology methods with new-generation mass spectrometry to study membrane transporter proteins and unlock mysteries that could lead to better treatments of diseases.

Tetsuya Terasaki, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor, Tohoku University, Japan

"AB SCIEX promised to help us push the limits of pharmaceutical science, and they have done exactly that. It is amazing how fast their TripleTOF 5600 System and Eksigent chip-based system provided meaningful data within a shorter time than ever expected to assist us in making a leap forward on our journey of discovery. With the support of AB SCIEX, who pulled out all the stops to get us back up and running after the earthquake earlier this year, we are accelerating biomedical research to develop new paths to drug discovery and development intended to improve diagnostics and treatment for the good of humanity."

Rainer Blair, President of AB SCIEX

"The move to new-generation mass spectrometry and chip-based nanoLC solutions, as Dr. Terasaki and his team did, represents a paradigm shift that marks the beginning of a new era in this industry. The TripleTOF 5600 System has started to change the way people are thinking about what is possible in drug discovery and developing protein biomarkers for diagnostic use in the future. Customers continue to find new ways to use the power and accuracy of the TripleTOF platform coupled with Eksigent technology. We don't just deliver outstanding technologies. We deliver answers to scientists' problems, and support them to deliver their groundbreaking research that improves the quality of life. That's what sets AB SCIEX apart."