Ciphergen Biosystems signed an agreement this week with Pfizer to use its ProteinChip system in a study to identify protein biomarkers associated with drug safety, the companies said.
The study will use serum from rat models, and look for proteins in the serum that could be identified as associated with a toxic response to a medication. Ciphergen will conduct these studies in its Biomarker centers in California, Pennsylvania, and Denmark.
This initial project, if successful, could be expanded into a larger program, according to Ciphergen CEO William Rich.
Ciphergens ProteinChip has a hydrophilic polymer surface, in which surface proteins bind to proteins screened from a sample. Currently, the company has a collaboration with Applied Biosystems to provide a ProteinChip interface for mass spectrometers.
The companys other ProteinChip customers include AstraZeneca, BASF, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, and Pharmacia. Currently, the company has a co-distribution agreement with Invitrogen.
MMJ