The annual ABRF meeting kicked off today, and some of the earliest talks focused on proteomics. The Sage team was glad about that, as our newest product, the SageELF, works with proteins as well as DNA.
The conference’s opening keynote came from Albert Heck, director of the Netherlands Proteomics Center and of the Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research at Utrecht University. The presentation offered a fascinating view of protein analysis, integrated ’omics data sets, and the need for more enzymes in measurement studies. Heck also spoke about protein separation technologies, which is where our SageELF fits in. It’s designed to perform whole-sample fractionation, making sure every bit of protein gets scooped up for your experiment. We have the instrument in our booth, so if you’re here at ABRF please stop by to check it out.
Another talk came from proteomics pioneer Leigh Anderson, CEO of SISCAPA Assay Technologies. His talk covered high-throughput quantification of biomarkers, noting that mass spec offers better specificity than immunoassays do. Anderson said that the SISCAPA technology can be used to target protein biomarkers with more sensitivity than other methods, allowing it to see important changes that may be missed in as many as 40 percent of patients with other tools.
In other sessions today, the DNA Sequencing Research Group presented results of its global reproducibility survey, finding that quantitative methods are more consistent than qualitative ones. We were also glad to see presentations on next-gen sequencing for clinical applications; ABRF has made a real push to the clinical realm in recent years and it’s great to get this kind of information here.
Thanks to the speakers and organizers for an excellent kick-off to the conference. We look forward to more in the days to come!