MitoSciences Inc. Releases New Tests For Mitochondrial Biogenesis

Main Category: Biology / Biochemistry
Article Date: 20 Jun 2008 - 4:00 PDT

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MitoSciences has released two new products for measuring Mitochondrial Biogenesis, a crucial biological process that is receiving increased attention due to its link to increased life span and greater resistance to disease.

Mitochondrial Biogenesis is at the center of highly-publicized recent studies describing the positive effects of resveratrol (the healthful component in red wine and an activator of proteins called sirtuins) and the creation of the so-called Super Mouse.

The other side of Mitochondrial Biogenesis involves negative effects, and pharmaceutical companies have recognized for years that antibiotic and antiviral drugs can significantly inhibit Mitochondrial Biogenesis. Developers of drugs for HIV patients are particularly aware of such effects, but methods for rapidly evaluating the toxic effects of HIV drugs on patients have been limited.

MitoSciences is offering two new solutions to researchers with the release of the MitoProfile® Biogenesis kits. The MS631 MitoProfile® Biogenesis Dipstick Kit is designed for point-of-care testing, and the MS641 MitoProfile® Biogenesis Microplate Kit is designed for high-throughput analysis.

"Our hope is that these new kits will provide useful tools to support some very promising areas of disease prevention research," said Jean-Paul Audette, president of MitoSciences, "while also supporting ongoing research into the best and safest ways to administer antiviral and antibiotic drugs."

Both tests are highly sensitive, while also being faster, easier, and less expensive than existing methods for evaluating Mitochondrial Biogenesis. Both kits are for research use only, not for diagnostic testing, although the Biogenesis Dipstick Kit has been approved by the FDA For Investigational Use Only, a designation for tests that are undergoing clinical validation.

Also released today were several new products for studying apoptosis and Friedreich's Ataxia (the most common form of inherited ataxia):

- MSF41 Microplate Assay Kit for Frataxin is a quantitative assay for measuring frataxin, a protein that is decreased in Friedreich's Ataxia (FA) patients. This kit is a high-throughput complement to the existing Dipstick Kit for Frataxin (MSF31), and is particularly suited to drug developers working on FA therapies.

- MSF42 Recombinant Human Frataxin provides very useful control material to users of both MSF31 and MSF41 for use in generating standard curves.

- MSA42 Microplate Assay Kit for Apoptosis-Inducing Factor (AIF) is a high-throughput complement to the existing MSA31 Dipstick Assay Kit for AIF, providing another tool for analyzing AIF's role in apoptosis, oxidative stress, and Complex I assembly.

About MitoSciences Inc.

MitoSciences is a developer and manufacturer of monoclonal antibodies and immunoassays for use in understanding mitochondrial function and metabolism. MitoSciences' products are used by pharmaceutical companies, clinical laboratories, and basic researchers to unlock the role of metabolic enzymes in disease, drug therapy, and drug toxicology. With an emphasis on developing assays that can measure multiple parameters in a single sample, MitoSciences is supporting the rapidly growing fields of systems biology and personalized medicine.

MitoSciences Inc.