Pressure BioSciences Inc (OTCQB:PBIO) said Wednesday that its Pressure Cycling Technology (PCT) platform received plaudits at the American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS) meeting in Atlanta, boosting its potential in the biopharma market.
PCT is a patented technology that uses alternating cycles of hydrostatic pressure between ambient (14.7 pounds per square inch) and ultra-high levels (up to 45,000 psi) to safely control biomolecular interactions.
At least 15 presentations spanning cancer research, protein function, molecular biology, and biomarker discovery discussed how the PCT platform allows for a high degree of safety, speed, reproducibility, and convenience in the creation of sample preparation protocols.
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Roxana McCloskey, global director of sales and marketing at Pressure BioSciences, said the Barocycler 2320EXT machine can analyze under pressure up to 16 samples simultaneously, boosting the discovery of new drugs and treatments.
“We believe this could eventually lead to the routine use of the PCT platform in precision medicine, a rapidly expanding market that is expected to reach $217 billion by 2028 according to BIS Research,” said McCloskey.
Cancer Research
Nine presentations focused on the importance of the PCT platform in studying cancers. Of these, three described the development and use of a novel, streamlined, sample preparation protocol and system featuring the company’s Barocycler 2320EXT instrument and MicroTubes as the link between two widely used techniques: laser microdissection and mass spectrometry.
Precise small sections of cells are cut from suspected tumor tissue slices while being viewed under a microscope. Once cut from the biopsy tissue, the slices of interest fall directly into PBI's MicroTubes, and are processed by the PCT platform and are then analyzed by mass spectrometry. The PCT platform is able to accelerate and strengthen protein analysis, improve cancer characterization, and provide clinically relevant information for diagnosis.
Researchers from China and Australia reported on advancements in their cancer diagnostic programs. These large studies of thousands of cancer samples rely critically on the PCT platform to rapidly and reproducibly extract proteins from tumor tissues for analysis by mass spectrometry.
Biomarker discovery
Several presentations reported results from studies that used the PCT platform for basic research and discovery of unique cancer biomarkers. Discovery of new biomarkers for early diagnosis, cancer subtyping, progression, and underlying pathway dysfunction is vital to help improve clinical outcomes.
In addition to cancer biomarker discovery, a presentation reported the use of the PCT platform to help reveal unique biomarkers due to exposure to chemicals in the environment, such as benzene.
This is the second report which highlights using Pressure Bioscience technology to monitor the effects of environmental pollutants.
Protein and molecular biology
Studies also highlighted how the high-pressure PCT system was used to accelerate enzymatic reactions for molecular biology and other applications, and for muscle tissue studies.
"We are thrilled with both the number and caliber of presentations made at the annual ASMS conference highlighting the advantages of the PCT platform,” said Pressure BioSciences CEO Richard T Schumacher.
Researchers from labs in Johns Hopkins University, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, John P Murtha Cancer Center, the Inova Schar Cancer Institute, Westlake University (China), the Children's Medical Research Institute, PPD Madison, and Pfizer discussed the importance of the PCT platform.
Contact Uttara Choudhury at uttara@proactiveinvestors.com
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