University College Dublin and USDA-ARS win competition designed to promote proteomics research in life sciences

Integromics, a market leader in IT solutions for life sciences in the field of genomics and proteomics, today announces the two winners of the Integromics 'Proteomics Mass Spectrometry Research Grant' competition, for the creative use of Integromics' OmicsHub(R) proteomics solution. The winners are Prof. Stephen Pennington from University College Dublin and Dr. Michelle Cilia from the USDA-ARS (U.S. Department of Agriculture - Agricultural Research Service).

The innovative competition is part of the commitment by Integromics to promote proteomics research in life sciences. Entrants to the competition had to submit how they would use Integromics' software. The two main judgment criteria were the most creative use of the software, and the project that would create the most interesting science.

From 50 applicants, 12 were shortlisted, with two final winners, who will both receive a free one year license to OmicsHub Proteomics from Integromics.

Dr. Michelle Cilia, a scientist in the Agricultural Research Service, the research branch of United States Department of Agriculture is conducting research focusing on plant virus transmission by aphids, insects that feed on the phloem sap of plants and transmit hundreds of destructive plant viruses. Using proteomic phenotyping, Dr. Cilia and her colleagues at the USDA discovered a robust panel of biomarkers that accurately identify aphid populations that are efficient virus vectors. These were clinically validated in aphid populations collected from various cropping systems throughout the United States. The next phase of their research will expand the clinical validation studies to aphid populations collected from other continents, as well into other insects that transmit plant viruses. Dr. Cilia and colleagues are testing the OmicsHub Proteomics platform for potential integration into their biomarker discovery platform for data sharing, network analysis and protein quantification.

The University College Dublin research proposal aims to build a mass spectrometry clinical utility to discover and develop protein biomarkers assays to establish disease and clinical decision from patient samples.

Currently, the large numbers of separate software elements and independent IT tasks can be prohibitively complex for a mass spec core facility lacking of a data management solution. This often creates bottlenecks, limiting the speed or the depth of services and analysis. With an OmicsHub Proteomics license, University College Dublin and USDA-ARS will be able to address both the data management and analysis by providing a single solution that integrates the protein identification and quantification steps onto a single platform for the mass spec facilities.

"University College Dublin and USDA-ARS are both highly respected for their cutting edge-research in proteomics," said Dr. Michael J. McManus, CEO, Integromics. "By sharing their expertise, we will all work together to make additional improvements to OmicsHub Proteomics that better serve the needs of both the winners and the wider core facilities market. This will result in a better understanding of the variety of common usage scenarios of OmicsHub Proteomics in real core facility settings, as well as other uses for the technology."

"We are looking forward to testing OmicsHub Proteomics for protein quantification and network analysis. There are so many platforms available for sharing mass spectrometry data, it can be challenging to find a solution that works for every group," said Dr. Michelle Cilia, United States Department of Agriculture. "We hope that the use of the OmicsHub Proteomics software in our research will provide a common framework for sharing and annotation of the mass spectrometry data among the various groups involved in this project."

About Integromics(R) S.L

INTEGROMICS, S.L. provides IT solutions for Life Sciences in the areas of Genomics and Proteomics. In the post-genomic era, Integromics S.L. offers state-of-the-art products, services and training in two strategic areas: data management/integration and intelligent data analysis. The company has developed a network of collaborators both in industry and academia to provide complete technological solutions that will help our clients to achieve their goals. Integromics(R) S.L. was founded in 2002 and is based in Granada, Spain, with offices in Madrid, Spain. Integromics, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary that was established in 2007 is based Philadelphia, PA.
For more information, visit http://www.integromics.com/