Scientists from the Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of
Medicine Report on the Development of an Enhanced Method
for Determining Fetal Exposure to Maternal Smoke and
Potentially Other Environmental Pollutants Using the Recently
Released Barozyme HT48 System.
Company Believes These New Applications Will Help Drive Revenue
in 2015 and Beyond.
South Easton, MA -- April 30, 2015 – InvestorsHub NewsWire
-- Pressure BioSciences, Inc. (OTCQB: PBIO)
(“PBI” or the “Company”), a leader in the development and sale of
broadly enabling sample preparation solutions using pressure
cycling technology (“PCT”)-based instruments and consumables to the
worldwide life sciences industry, today announced that Dr. William
Funk, Assistant Professor in Preventive Medicine-Cancer
Epidemiology and Prevention at the Northwestern University (“NU”) Feinberg School of
Medicine, and his postdoctoral fellow, Dr. Daniel Ladror,
presented a novel application for the Company’s new Barozyme HT48
high-throughput PCT-based System (the “HT48 System”) in
environmental epidemiology. The presentations were made at
the 2015 Pittcon Conference & Expo (largest annual conference
& exposition for laboratory science) and at NU’s 11th Annual
Lewis Landsberg Research Day.
Dr. Funk, a key opinion leader in cancer epidemiology and
prevention, has been participating in the early evaluation program
for the Barozyme HT48 High-throughput System since November
2014. In addition to studies aimed at determining its
effectiveness for protein digestion and biomarker discovery, Dr.
Funk and his team have also used the HT48 System to help measure
fetal exposure to tobacco smoke. The method used to detect exposure
to tobacco smoke involves the extraction and detection of cotinine
from blood, and recently from dried blood spots (“DBS”), collected
from babies. Drs. Funk and Ladror found that the addition of
the Barozyme HT48 System into their workflow resulted in greater
sensitivity, accuracy, throughput, and time-to-result, as compared
to their standard extraction and detection method.
Cotinine, an alkaloid found in tobacco, is the predominant metabolite of nicotine. It is considered the gold standard
biomarker for exposure to tobacco smoke. DBS collection is a
relatively non-invasive technique used to routinely collect and
store blood samples, typically within 24-48 hours of birth from
greater than 98% of all newborns in the United States. Drs.
Funk and Ladror are pioneering the extraction and measurement of
cotinine and possibly other chemical pollutants from DBS, versus
whole blood. This cutting-edge method for measuring cotinine in DBS
samples offers the potential to significantly improve the detection
and measurement of exposure of fetuses and newborns to tobacco
smoke and potentially their exposure to other environmental
pollutants, such as heavy metals.
Dr. Ladror said: “Extractions of cotinine from dried blood spots
using the HT48 System were completed in a fraction of the time
required for standard, bench-top extracts, but nonetheless resulted
in equal or improved yields. This greatly streamlines the sample
preparation process, and when combined with the increased sample
processing capacity of the HT48 System, makes the use of the
Barozyme HT48 System quite amenable to the high-throughput studies
required for population-based environmental studies.”
Dr. Funk said: “We have routinely used our Barocycler NEP2320
for accelerated protein digestion and biomarker discovery and have
been delighted with the results. Based on our successful
experience with PCT-based protein extraction and digestion, we
wondered if high pressure might also improve the extraction of
chemicals like cotinine from dried blood spots on filter paper. We
also wondered if the Barozyme HT48 System might improve the
extraction of other chemical toxins and carcinogens from sources
other than tobacco, while providing a high throughput sample
preparation solution for environmental epidemiology.”
Dr. Funk continued: “Results to date have shown that the
Barozyme HT48 System can effectively extract cotinine from dried
blood spots. Based on these results, we believe the HT48 System may
one day also be used to extract and help measure other potential
chemical hazards in the environment that could harm fetuses,
babies, children, and even adults. We look forward to continuing
these very important studies in which we expect the Barozyme HT48
to continue to play an important role.”
Dr. Nathan Lawrence, VP of Marketing and Sales of PBI,
commented: “When our instrumentation is placed in the hands of
creative scientists, they often successfully expand the
applications of these PCT-based tools into new and important areas
of research and discovery. We believe the work of Dr. Funk and his
team shows the potential use of the HT48 System for the extraction
of biomarkers from dried blood spots, a new and potentially large
market for PBI. We also believe the continuation of their
work may lead to more sensitive and accurate environmental exposure
assays, tests that are essential to protecting the health of all
people, but especially babies, the most vulnerable members of our
community. Finally, we believe that these and other new
applications for the Barozyme HT48 High-throughput System will
drive increases in both instrument and consumables revenue for PBI,
in 2015 and beyond”
About the Barozyme HT48 High-throughput System
The Barozyme HT48 is a first-in-class, high throughput,
PCT-based instrument. It is capable of processing up to 48 samples
simultaneously using the Company’s proprietary BaroFlex 8-well,
single-use processing strips. Together, the new Barozyme HT48
instrument and BaroFlex 8-well processing strips make up the
Barozyme HT48 High Throughput System (the “Barozyme HT48
System”).
The ability of the Barozyme HT48 System to process up to 48
samples simultaneously in the universally accepted “microplate”
format is a major improvement in the throughput of sample handling.
This is a critical capability needed to interface PCT-based sample
preparation smoothly with essential modern laboratory automation.
The new BaroFlex format of disposable sample containers in 8-well
strips lowers the total cost per sample processed by PCT and
facilitates integration of PCT processing with robotic automation,
essential to the throughput and efficiency of modern laboratories.
Lastly, the Barozyme HT48 Systems’ computer control was designed to
meet GLP compliance demands of biopharmaceutical quality control
and clinical proteomics labs.
About Pressure BioSciences, Inc.
Pressure BioSciences, Inc. (“PBI”) (OTCQB: PBIO) develops,
markets, and sells proprietary laboratory instrumentation and
associated consumables to the estimated $6 billion life sciences
sample preparation market. Our products are based on the unique
properties of both constant (i.e., static) and alternating (i.e.,
pressure cycling technology, or PCT) hydrostatic pressure. PCT is a
patented enabling technology platform that uses alternating cycles
of hydrostatic pressure between ambient and ultra-high levels to
safely and reproducibly control bio-molecular interactions. To
date, we have installed over 250 PCT systems in approximately 160
sites worldwide. There are over 100 publications citing the
advantages of the PCT platform over competitive methods, many from
key opinion leaders. Our primary application development and sales
efforts are in the biomarker discovery and forensics areas.
Customers also use our products in other areas, such as drug
discovery & design, bio-therapeutics characterization, soil
& plant biology, vaccine development, histology, and
counter-bioterror applications.
Forward Looking Statements
Statements contained in this press release regarding PBI's
intentions, hopes, beliefs, expectations, or predictions of the
future are "forward-looking'' statements within the meaning of the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements
are based upon the Company's current expectations, forecasts, and
assumptions that are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other
factors that could cause actual outcomes and results to differ
materially from those indicated by these forward-looking
statements. These risks, uncertainties, and other factors include,
but are not limited to, the risks and uncertainties discussed under
the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form
10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014, and other reports filed
by the Company from time to time with the SEC. The Company
undertakes no obligation to update any of the information included
in this release, except as otherwise required by law.
Investor Contacts: Richard T. Schumacher, President and CEO
(508) 230-1828
Nathan P. Lawrence, Vice
President, Marketing and Sales (508)
230-1829 (F)
For more information about PBI
and this press release, please click on the following website
link:
http://www.pressurebiosciences.com
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