Frost & Sullivan Commends LI-COR Biosciences’ Odyssey Imaging System for Opening Up New Avenues for Protein Expression Research

Palo Alto, Calif. — September 25, 2006 — Frost & Sullivan is proud to recognize LI-COR Biosciences’ Odyssey Infrared Imaging System as the 2006 North American Drug Discovery Technologies Product of the Year.

With this system, LI-COR improves upon an existing methodology used throughout the life sciences research industry, but more importantly, it expands the potential for protein research to a new dimension.

“Since 1981, immuno-, or Western, blotting has been used for the assessment of relative protein expression and functional levels from cellular and tissue sources, but there have been no fundamental improvements in experimental design,” says Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Shankar Sellappan, Ph.D.  “LI-COR’s Odyssey system breaks new ground in three regards – it   drastically reduces the price point per experiment, introduces new techniques that increase the efficiency and accuracy of experiments, and provides researchers with a method whereby data is digitally delivered.“

LI-COR has brought down the costs of protein analysis by introducing an approach that takes advantage of the inherent sensitivity advantage of the near-infrared spectrum, thereby removing the need to develop film while performing immunoblots (a time-consuming, labor-intensive operation).

Compared with traditional systems, the cost of performing an identical protein analysis experiment using the Odyssey system is 90% less. This system’s fluorescent detection and digital delivery of data improves its usefulness by providing quantitative numerical results, rather than prior methods that provided purely qualitative images.  Using secondary antibodies conjugated with two spectrally distinct IRDye infrared fluorophores, two protein targets can be simultaneously detected on a single membrane.  Unlike traditional chemiluminescent methods, the fluorescent signals last indefinitely and can be viewed independently.

In addition, the development of methods that take advantage of the dual-color approach, such as In-Cell Westerns and protein microarrays, dramatically shortens the time needed for an experiment, decreases the cost per experiment, and allows for more efficient use of resources.

“As cellular activity is dependent on a delicate interplay of many different proteins, researchers’ aim to assess multiple targets simultaneously was unfeasible due to technical limitations and costs,” explains Dr. Sellappan. “The LI-COR Odyssey system enables the simultaneous analyses of many different protein targets from a single sample, distributed on a nitrocellulose membrane, in small aliquots on a multi-well plate, or through the use of minute amounts ‘printed’ on a lysate microarray glass slide.” 

The miniaturization of sample size allows for greater flexibility with limited lysates and for a maximum amount of data to be extracted from each experiment. In addition to cell-based assays and array-based approaches, the ability to perform live animal imaging with the Odyssey system is propelling the use of the Odyssey into uncharted territories.

In short, by virtue of the flexibility and efficiencies offered by the Odyssey system, resources are no longer a constraint to protein expression analysis.

In recognition of the considerable improvements to experimental design and possibilities for protein expression research provided by the Odyssey Imaging System, Frost & Sullivan presents the 2006 North American Drug Discovery Technologies Product of the Year Award to LI-COR Biosciences.

Each year Frost & Sullivan presents this Award to a company that has demonstrated excellence in new products and technologies within their industry.

Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research in order to identify best practices in the industry.

About LI-COR Biosciences

LI-COR Biosciences is a leader in the design and manufacture of instrument systems for biotechnology and environmental research. LI-COR pioneered the development of infrared fluorescence labeling and detection systems for such areas as protein analysis and DNA sequencing. The Odyssey® and Aerius™ systems offer unique infrared imaging solutions for a variety of applications, including Western blotting, protein arrays, cell-based assays, and in vivo imaging.  LI-COR instruments for photosynthesis, gas analysis and light measurement are recognized worldwide for standard-setting innovation in plant science research and environmental monitoring.

Founded in 1971, the privately held company is based in Lincoln, Nebraska with subsidiaries in Germany and the United Kingdom. LI-COR systems are used in over 100 countries and are supported by a global network of distributors. For more information, visit www.licor.com.

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, a global growth consulting company, has been partnering with clients to support the development of innovative strategies for more than 40 years. The company's industry expertise integrates growth consulting, growth partnership services, and corporate management training to identify and develop opportunities. Frost & Sullivan serves an extensive clientele that includes Global 1000 companies, emerging companies, and the investment community by providing comprehensive industry coverage that reflects a unique global perspective and combines ongoing analysis of markets, technologies, econometrics, and demographics. For more information, visit www.awards.frost.com or www.healthcare.frost.com

Contact:
Stacie Jones
210.247.2450