German venture suggests hope for diagnostic test development: Peptides

[Firestormm]

You know, I have no idea what this 'peptide' is all about, and need to find out more, but to have the Germans on board appears to me a positive development generally speaking. From memory I haven't heard much positive news from Germany in regard to CFS/ME.

JPT Peptide Technologies and The Institute for Medical Immunology at the Charite in Berlin Announce Collaboration on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

BERLIN, Jan 30, 2013 (BUSINESS WIRE)

JPT Peptide Technologies GmbH (JPT), a wholly-owned subsidiary of BioNTech AG (Mainz, Germany), and The Institute for Medical Immunology at the Charite in Berlin today announced a collaborative agreement on the development of serological peptide markers for the differential diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).

CFS is a debilitating and complex disorder characterized by profound fatigue. Symptoms affect several body systems, frequently resulting in broadly reduced participation in daily activities. Definitive diagnosis of CFS is difficult and a diagnostic test is not available. Currently, diagnosis of CFS is achieved through the process of eliminating other diseases that have chronic fatigue as a symptom.

The goal of the partnership is to combine the long term expertise at the Charite Clinics for Immune Deficiencies in diagnosing CFS patients with JPT's high-content peptide microarray approach to discover seromarkers that enable the development of a diagnostic test system.

Prof. Carmen Scheibenbogen, the project team head at the Charite stated: "Our previous and ongoing research at The Institute for Medical Immunology indicates a chronic activation of the immune system for a portion of our CFS patients.

Preliminary results using JPT's peptide microarray technology let us hope to find distinct serological markers that allow better diagnosis and treatment of CFS patients in the future."

Holger Wenschuh, CEO at JPT adds, "The previous success of our peptide microarray platform technology in identifying seromarkers in HIV, autoimmune diseases and cancer has led to this exciting opportunity to use our arrays to systematically explore other indications with high and unmet diagnostic and therapeutic need."

The collaboration project is supported in part by Pro FIT, a funding program of the Investitionsbank Berlin (IBB) and by the European Union (EFRE).

About JPT Peptide Technologies GmbH

JPT Peptide Technologies GmbH is an DIN ISO 9001:2008 certified research and development partner and innovative service provider for peptide related projects. JPT's key technologies SPOT(TM) - for ultra-high-throughput peptide synthesis and screening, PepStar(TM)- for high-content peptide microarrays, PepTrack(TM)- for flexible peptide library assembly, PepMix(TM)- for antigen specific T-cell stimulation using peptide pools, and SpikeTides(TM)- for protein biomarker quantification accelerate research and development in areas such as immune monitoring, vaccine development, peptide biomarker discovery, peptide lead identification and optimization, enzyme profiling and proteomics.

About The Institute of Medical Immunology

The Institute of Medical Immunology at the Charite focuses on the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies of immune mediated diseases based on an improved understanding of its pathogenesis. In our outpatient clinic we take care of adult patients with immune deficiencies who frequently suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome.

http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=bwnews&sty=20130130005880r1&sid=cmtx4&distro=nx

SOURCE: JPT Peptide Technologies

Any further information on Peptides and CFS/ME would be much appreciated. Danke

 

[Firestormm]

Just heard that Professor Carmen attended the OMI-MERIT meeting in New York last year. Will need to look a little closer at this venture methinks but it's a positive development - can't say more than that at the moment.

 

[Sasha]

You know, I have no idea what this 'peptide' is all about, and need to find out more, but to have the Germans on board appears to me a positive development generally speaking.

I agree - think what they did to Skoda cars!

I think it's in Germany that low blood pressure is recognised as a medical problem, as opposed to in the UK where "it can't be too low". I think different countries have different expertise and attitudes on all sorts of things and to have one more country in the mix contributing to research is a good thing.

 

[Firestormm]

This may I suppose have greater relevance the closer you are to the point of diagnosis - if you see what I mean - but a diagnostic test based on 'peptides' could indicate a continuing problem with one's immune system. Doesn't go as far as treatment options of course - but hell - it might help better determine what route a patient should take and perhaps be an aid for prognosis.

I need to look more into this 'peptide' malarkey. Not to forget this is a (presumably) biotech firm with commercial interests that will benefit from speculation.

As a former (in my youth) owner of a skoda (before the make-over) I can personally testify to the important of German engineering and design (though I think the redesign was British or involved a British designer - can't remember). Anyway, Skoda's today are by far an improvement on the skip wot I was forced to drive and suffer ignomy for my decision. Not that I had much choice

 

[Sasha]

This may I suppose have greater relevance the closer you are to the point of diagnosis - if you see what I mean - but a diagnostic test based on 'peptides' could indicate a continuing problem with one's immune system. Doesn't go as far as treatment options of course - but hell - it might help better determine what route a patient should take and perhaps be an aid for prognosis.

I need to look more into this 'peptide' malarkey. Not to forget this is a (presumably) biotech firm with commercial interests that will benefit from speculation.

As a former (in my youth) owner of a skoda (before the make-over) I can personally testify to the important of German engineering and design (though I think the redesign was British or involved a British designer - can't remember). Anyway, Skoda's today are by far an improvement on the skip wot I was forced to drive and suffer ignomy for my decision. Not that I had much choice

I bought a post-takeover Skoda and can give a big thumbs-up to its build quality. Glad I missed the Cold War version.

I think diagnosis and treatment are so interlinked, especially given our subgroup issues. Progress in one has got to mean progress in the other.

 

[peggy-sue]

The Dundee group have found evidence of a chronic ongoing inflammatory response in both adults and children,
(Khan and Belch) I think this is a really positive thing, Firestorm - thanks for posting!

(We had a post-war Skoda for years and years too. And a *wonderful* holiday in Augsberg and Munich - everybody was so friendly and welcoming and helpful. Germany, interestingly, has a low differential between the highest and lowest paid. They have a high regard for quality - for everybody.)

 

[Little Bluestem]

the development of serological peptide markers for the differential diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).

Preliminary results using JPT's peptide microarray technology let us hope to find distinct serological markers that allow better diagnosis and treatment of CFS patients in the future.

Most of this article is above my intellectual level, but these sound good.

this exciting opportunity to use our arrays to systematically explore other indications with high and unmet diagnostic and therapeutic need.

ME/CFS certainly has high and unmet diagnostic and therapeutic need.

 

[Firestormm]

Yeah mine too, Blue. Am such a dunce these days I take it all with a pinch of salt. I mean it's a 'good' development. We are seemingly moving in the 'right' direction i.e. towards some sort of biomarker. How we get there and how good it is is in the lap (or lab) of the gods

Excuse me do, am in a 'funny' mood this morrow.