Image Analyser used at Major US Pain Research Centre Improves Accuracy of Detecting Proteins Associated with Spinal Cord Injury

Syngene, a world-leading manufacturer of image analysis solutions, is delighted to announce that a specialist US medical institute, the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Centre (DHMC), is significantly improving detection of proteins associated with spinal cord injuries, using a G:BOX Chemi HR16, Syngene’s innovative fluorescence and chemiluminescence image analyser.

Scientists in the Department of Anesthesiology at DHMC are using a G:BOX Chemi HR16, supplied by New England BioGroup, LLC (Syngene’s exclusive representative in New England) to image Western blots of HRP labelled proteins that are involved in inflammatory processes, (p-ERK, total-ERK, MKP1, NOS2, IL-1 and TNFa) isolated from neonatal cortical microglial cells treated with new drugs, post peripheral nerve injury. By identifying a protein’s presence, DHMC researchers hope to determine which drugs most effectively treat the pain caused by peripheral nerve injury.

Dr Edgar Alfonso Romero-Sandoval, Instructor of Anesthesiology at the DHMC explained: “Pain following peripheral nerve injury often responds poorly to available therapies, which is why we are looking at new drugs to treat it. To do this we use expensive rat primary cell cultures that yield little protein and were using a laser scanner to image our Westerns but could not detect the microgram amounts of proteins we had, as there was so much background.”

Dr Romero-Sandoval added: “We switched to a G:BOX Chemi HR16 because it allows us to adjust exposure conditions, (something we couldn’t do with our laser scanner) to detect these tiny protein amounts. Using a G:BOX Chemi HR16 has improved the sensitivity of imaging our Western blots so much, we have been able to reduce the detecting antibody concentration by 2-4 fold and significantly lowered reagent costs. Additionally, with a G:BOX we can strip our membranes several times and are still able to detect different proteins using the same blot derived from the same experiment and cell culture.”

Paula Maia, Vice President of Sales, Syngene US stated: "We are pleased our G:BOX Chemi HR16 system is being utilised in such important pre-clinical studies. The research at the DHMC demonstrates to any lab trying to maximise accuracy of protein detection, while minimising costs that choosing a G:BOX Chemi HR16 system will be a decision without compromise.”