Press Release

Medical & Biological Laboratories Co., Ltd. (Central office: Naka-ku, Nagoya; President & CEO: Katsuhiko Nishida) has introduced new genetic analysis techniques for research on gene expression control developed by the American bio-venture company Ribonomics Inc. (North Carolina, USA), which is an affiliate subsidiary of Medical & Biological Laboratories Co., Ltd. A kit capable of identifying the desired genes through biochemical techniques has been developed and released into the market simultaneously all over the world on April 10, 2009.

The products launched this time are as follows.

Product [1]: The “RiboCluster Profiler RIP-Assay Kit” (referred to as the “RIP-Assay Kit” below)
A kit for the isolation and purification of only functionally related messenger RNA (mRNA) inside the cell.

Product [2]: The “RIP-Certified Antibody” series
A series of antibodies capable of immunoprecipitating the complex formed by mRNA and RNA-binding proteins (RBP).

Product [3]: “Entrusted Research”
Entrusted research that makes use of these technologies such as the study of gene expression control, RNA interference, and the identification of micro-RNA target genes.

Product [4]: “RiboChip”
Microarrays (custom arrays) for the expression analysis of RBP are now being developed in collaboration with domestic manufacturers in Japan and will soon be launched in the market.

The “RIP-Assay Kit”, which was released this time, allows a convenient and simplified detection of functionally related mRNA in this cluster more efficiently than in conventional methods. It is expected to be applied not only in basic research, but also in the development of diagnostic and pharmaceutical products.

Furthermore, because RNA interference and micro-RNA, which have recently attracted a lot of attention, bind to certain RBPs and play a role in posttranscriptional gene expression, the targets of RNA interference and micro-RNAs can be identified by using the “RIP-Assay Kit”.

While the elucidation of gene functions is difficult to obtain with conventional gene expression analysis methods, the use of the “RIP-Assay Kit” provides a significant advantage. In addition, it is a next-generation drug discovery tool capable of detecting genes involved in cell division and cell differentiation or the genes that cause the onset of diseases which were previously undetectable with conventional methods.

In the future, while starting trust businesses using the “RIP-Assay Kit” (product [1]) and “RiboChip” (product [4]), Medical & Biological Laboratories Co., Ltd. will release new products and expand its entrusted businesses throughout the world by putting into practical use the “RiboTrap” technique for the identification of RBPs and microRNAs, which intracellularly bind to mRNAs, the “in vivo RIP-Assay” technique, which causes the expression of RBP in a tissue-specific manner, and the “HTP RIP-Seq” technique, which combines RIP-Assay with the use of a high-speed sequencer. In addition, 200 types of product [2] “RIP-Certified Antibody” are being developed to be categorized into a series of new products.

Ribonomics Inc. is a bio-venture that was established by Professor Jack D. Keene of Duke University Medical Center, who discovered “Posttranscriptional RNA operons.” They have patented the RIP-Chip technology that was developed on the basis of “Posttranscriptional RNA operons” that can be useful for drug discovery and biomarker discovery.

Medical & Biological Laboratories Co., Ltd. is promoting this project in conjunction with microarray manufacturers in Japan and overseas. Sales and marketing are conducted by Medical & Biological Laboratories Co., Ltd., in Japan and overseas by MBL International (Woburn, MA)(http://www.mblintl.com/).

>> RiboCluster Profiler™ RIP-Assay Kit, RIP-Certified Antibody