New assay-enhancing offerings will deliver customers world-class research tools in promising research area

Gardner, MA - New England Peptide (NEP) today introduced NEPTune ^TM, a new proprietary line of custom proteomics reagents to help its customers to quickly and inexpensively maximize biomarker assay development and produce consistent results.  

"Proteomics is an exciting research field that is poised to deliver the next generation of life-changing diagnostic tools and drug therapies," said Dave Robinson, NEP's Chief Executive Officer. "We have great interest in proteomic research and are pleased to be the only company providing this high quality, proprietary line of services to our customers.  It marks a revolutionary step forward for NEP and the field of proteomics as a whole."  

Proteomics is the large scale study of the set of proteins specified by genes within an organism with the aim to understand how biological systems operate on a fundamental level.  Proteomic-based (human) diagnostics and resultant therapies have the potential to allow physicians to treat disease states in a more specific and targeted approach, which will help deliver on the promise of personalized medicine and tailored therapies that have been discussed in the health care industry in recent years.  

The NEPTune ^TM  line comprises a suite of four distinct solutions that align with the continuum of needs of the proteomics researcher and clinician, ranging from biomarker discovery through clinical assay production: 

• NEPTune^TM Assay Discovery Peptides - NEP's technology allows customers to quickly and less expensively increase the number of peptides they screen, enabling them to more efficiently reach their research goals.
• NEPTune^TM Assay Verification Peptides - Since proteomics verification is a critical stage in the development of a viable biomarker assay, NEP offers peptide and antibody reagents tailored to complement this phase of the proteomics project lifecycle.
• NEPTune^TM Assay Refinement Peptides - The culmination of rigorous discovery and verification studies has its own unique set of needs, which are met by NEP's assay refinement solution.
• NEPTune^TM Clinical Assay Peptides - NEP already supports many ongoing clinical assays around the world with its reagents.

Robinson noted that NEP has been a leader in proteomics research for years and has assembled a team - led by Chemical Development Vice President Robert Hammer, PhD and Proteomics Product Manager John Antognoni with consultation from NEP's industry-leading scientific advisory board - that delivers the industry's only single source of peptides optimized for quantitative proteomics. 

 "New England Peptide has been at the forefront of proteomic peptide research for years and the introduction of the NEPTune^TM line allows us to provide even better service to our customers," said Antognoni.  "In proteomics, reproducibility and robust techniques are paramount, and NEPTune^TM helps our customers overcome these critical hurdles in an efficient and cost-effective manner." 

NEPTune^TM is the latest in a line of proprietary product and process innovations developed by NEP's in-house team. Last December, NEP launched PepScale^TM, a proprietary peptide synthesis instrument, that better enables peptide scale-up and process development projects for its customers.  In September, NEP rolled out PepCRO^TM, the first peptide-focused contract research service for drug, vaccine and diagnostic discovery projects.  Last July, NEP unveiled FlashPure^TM, the peptide industry's first flash purification system.   

Customers interested in the industry's newest set of proteomics services should contact the NEP's business development group at 888-343-5974.   

About New England Peptide - NEP

NEP, founded in 1998, designs and produces custom peptides and polyclonal antibodies for drug and vaccine discovery organizations worldwide. Headquartered in the Boston metro area in Gardner, Mass., the company's chemists and immunological experts specialize in delivering a full range of services for biotech and pharmaceutical applications.

Peptides are smaller segments of proteins or short polymers of amino acids that play key roles in biochemical regulation of all life systems, helping to fight diseases as diverse as cancer, diabetes, obesity and HIV/AIDS. Peptides' inherent low toxicity and high potency, coupled with improved drug delivery methods and enhanced manufacturing capabilities, are fueling a surge in research and clinical use.