Eli Lilly and MDS Proteomics Collaborate
Eli Lilly has recently started a collaboration with MDS Proteomics, according to Richard Ludwig, a manager with Lilly, who spoke to ProteoMonitor’s sister publication, Genome Technology. Both Lilly and MDS Proteomics declined to provide any further information at the moment.
NCBI Develops Proteomics Algorithms
The NCBI is developing proteomics algorithms, including programs to filter out bad mass spectra prior to database searches, and software to compare search results from different experiments. At least for now, no database search software will be included, according to Lewis Geer, an NCBI staff scientist who heads the project. The software, which is currently beta-tested, will probably be publicly available early next year.
NIH Provides $15M to Create UniProt Database
The National Institutes of Health last week awarded three groups a total of $15 million over three years to consolidate Swiss-Prot, Trembl, and the Protein Information Resource (PIR) into one single protein sequence database, called the United Protein Database, or UniProt.
The groups, led by researchers at the EBI, the SIB, and Georgetown University, will use the NIH money to incorporate entries in PIR and Trembl into Swiss-Prot, according to an NIH statement. The PIR group will no longer maintain its database.
In addition to incorporating PIR data into Swiss-Prot, the PIR group will assist EBI and SIB curators in curating the Trembl entries and bringing them to the standard required for inclusion in Swiss-Prot. Within three years, the investigators hope to push the number of proteins with entries in UniProt above 2 million.
Depressed Mass Spec Sales Push Waters’ Earnings Below Expectations
In the third quarter of 2002, Waters shipped fewer mass spectrometers than expected, the Milford, Mass.-based company said last week. Waters’ sales for the most recent quarter increased four percent over the comparable period a year ago, before accounting for favorable currency effects. The company’s HPLC business continued to grow, according to a statement. As a result of a restructuring annouced in July to consolidate sales and support staff between its Micromass and Waters divisions, the company said it will take an unspecified charge on its fourth-quarter earnings.
Gyros Signs Distribution Partners in Europe
Gyros has signed B&L Systems of Maarssen, the Netherlands, and Bucher Biotech, of Basel, Switzerland, to distribute the company’s CD-based MALDI-MS sample preparation system, the Uppsala, Sweden-based company said last week. In addition to the new distribution arrangements, Gyros CEO Maris Hartmanis said at a recent conference in New York that the company plans to open its own sales office in Germany.
GeneProt Plans to Lay off 20, Sell Time on its Supercomputers
In an attempt to cut expenses by 40 percent by January 1, 2003, GeneProt of Geneva is planning to lay off 20 employees by the end of the year, according to Bertrand Damour, the company’s CFO, who talked to ProteoMonitor’s sister publication Genome Technology last week.
In addition, Damour said, the company is planning to sell time on its Compaq supercomputers in order to generate additional revenue.