March 6, 2008
METABOLON LAUNCHES THIRD GENERATION METABOLOMICS PLATFORM

Enhancements Will Significantly Increase Speed and Resolution of Comprehensive Biochemical Profiling

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC (March 6, 2008) – Metabolon, Inc., the leader in metabolomics-driven biomarker discovery, announced today the launch of its third generation metabolomics platform. The new platform powers the company's mVisionTM global biochemical profiling service as well as their diagnostic product development. This third generation technology platform enables greater speed and resolution for the discovery of biochemical markers from numerous chemical classes and various sample matrices further extending Metabolon's leadership position in the metabolomics services space.

The new platform is based on three separate analytical systems: An ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) system with positive ion MS/MS, a second UHPLC-MS/MS system with negative ion MS/MS and a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) system. The three systems together provide analysis of the broadest range of biochemicals in complex samples such as plasma and urine. The novel software tools automatically process millions of raw data points from the three data streams and rapidly distinguish between biochemical signals and background noise. By comparing signals to a proprietary database, the biochemicals are identified and quantified.

“These significant improvements in our platform represent a quantum leap in the five year evolution of our metabolomics capabilities,” says John Ryals, Ph.D, President and CEO of Metabolon. “By implementing these enhancements, we can take a complex sample, such as blood, and rapidly identify hundreds of biochemicals and metabolites. In fact, we believe that our analysis can now positively identify more biochemical species in biological samples than any other commercial metabolomics platform.” 

“Our third platform will greatly expand the amount of meaningful biochemical information we deliver to our clients," reports Dr. Mike Milburn, Metabolon's chief scientific officer. "Not only are we able to identify more biochemical markers than before, but we have dramatically reduced the time it takes to identify those markers. In addition, the platform will further accelerate the development of our diagnostic products.”

About Metabolon
Metabolon is a high-value diagnostic and services company using the industry’s best biochemical profiling technology platform. Metabolon’s patented platform provides a global, comprehensive analysis of biological samples for the discovery of biochemical biomarkers.  This metabolomics-based approach enables the identification of biomarkers useful for the development of a wide range of diagnostics (prognostics, theranostics, companion diagnostics). In addition, Metabolon’s services provide biochemical markers and information for understanding complex biochemical processes such as drug action, toxicology, and bioprocess monitoring.