Thermo Fisher Scientific Collaborates with The Institute of Cancer Research to Create State-of-the-Art Proteomics Laboratory

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, today announced a collaboration with the integrative network biology initiative at The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), UK. The ICR’s new, state-of-the-art proteomics laboratory is equipped with a complete Thermo Scientific proteomics workflow, including the Kingfisher Flex automated sample preparation system, the TSQ Vantage™ triple quadrupole and the UK’s first two LTQ Orbitrap Velos™ mass spectrometers. This workflow provides powerful capabilities to meet the needs of the ICR’s demanding research goals.

“Typically, cancer research focuses on the function and behavior of individual genes or proteins,” explains Dr. Rune Linding, head of the cellular and molecular logic team at the ICR. “The ICR’s effort aims to assess how networks of cancer cells interact with each other and surrounding tissues to metastasize, or spread, throughout the body. By modeling and simulating how cancer cells interact within the larger biological network, ICR researchers hope to achieve breakthroughs leading to new drugs or treatments that prevent metastasis – the process that claims the lives of about 90 percent of cancer patients.”

Dr. Linding added: "Studying the dynamics of cellular networks requires state-of-the-art mass spectrometry. The LTQ Orbitrap Velos and TSQ Vantage systems enable us to push the boundaries and analyze completely new aspects of cellular signaling networks and perform massive scale studies of the dynamics in these networks. This is crucial as we believe the progression of cancer is due to changes in these molecular networks."

The chairman of the ICR’s section of cell and molecular biology Professor Chris Marshall, FRS, added, “Furthermore, we think that the integration of data from mass spectrometry analysis with other data, such as genetic RNAi screens, will allow us to generate detailed models of processes such as invasion and metastasis. Such a detailed understanding is important to start treating the signaling network as a whole rather than individual nodes, an approach known as network medicine.”

The collaboration involves a number of Thermo Fisher Scientific solutions, including laboratory equipment, silencing RNA, protein reagents, mass spectrometry and related services. Anthony Sullivan, proteomics team leader for Thermo Fisher Scientific, said, “We are immensely proud of our unique ability to serve this essential research and pleased with the opportunity to work so closely with such a talented and motivated team of scientists.”