Singapore Eye Research Institute Performs Breakthrough Research on Chronic Inflammatory Eye Conditions with SCIEX TripleTOF 5600 System

Will advance biomarker candidates it identified for chronic inflammatory eye conditions into large-scale clinical trials

SCIEX, a global leader in life science analytical technologies, today announced that the Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI), an internationally known eye research center, will advance biomarker candidates it identified for chronic inflammatory eye conditions into large-scale clinical trials for validation with the SCIEX TripleTOF^® 5600 System. SERI plans to use the data from the TripleTOF^® system to accelerate the process to develop a clinical test to significantly improve understanding of inflammation of the eye. This information is expected to be invaluable in helping SERI develop methods with measurable end-points for improved diagnosis and pharmacological treatments of dry eye and other eye conditions that affect millions of people across the world.

Objective clinical tests to accurately measure the severity of dry eye syndrome and preclinical evaluation of new pharmacological therapies currently do not exist.  As a leader in ocular proteomics studies, SERI is advancing eye research by identifying and verifying six biomarker candidates that are associated with dry eye syndrome.  The institute is collaborating with Allergan, an ocular pharmaceutical company, to conduct a clinical trial with hundreds of patient samples to validate early data that these biomarkers show an accuracy rate close to 100 percent whether a person has dry eye.

SERI selected the SCIEX TripleTOF^® 5600 System for this important research because of the system's high throughput and high sensitivity coupled with high resolution and accurate mass.  SERI is also using the Eksigent nanoLC-Ultra and cHiPLC-nanoflex chromatography technology to increase productivity and improve reproducibility.  The researchers can utilize these technologies to generate better quality information from samples more easily than previously possible.  With the TripleTOF^® system, SERI is expecting to complete the clinical trials in less than half the time it would take using other systems to collect research data.

Determining how the delicate epithelial cells on the surface of the cornea are affected by contact lenses is also not as well-understood as it could be, so the TripleTOF^® 5600 System, which provides high-performance quantitative and qualitative analysis with accurate mass, will be used for advanced metabolic research studies of contact lens wear.  By studying the metabolomics of contact lens wear, the SERI researchers will be able to better understand how the cells on the surface of the cornea are affected by the type of lens as well as the length of time wearing the lens.

The SERI research team, led by Dr. Roger Beuerman, Ph.D. and his colleague Zhou Lei, Ph.D., is also pushing the limits of eye research by utilizing the SCIEX and Eksigent technologies to reveal new insights into the understanding of disease processes.  This advanced eye research program demonstrates the commitment to continued progress and breakthrough developments at SERI, which is part of a large hospital group called SingHealth. Support from Dr. Tan Ser Kiat, Group CEO, Dr. Donald Tan, MD of Singapore National Eye Center and the Singhealth Foundation to accomplish the research team's goals has been critical.  Also supporting the research at SERI is SCIEX Global Service whose world-class service was a factor in SERI's decision to choose SCIEX.

Roger Beuerman, Ph.D, Head of the Proteomics Research Group and Senior Scientific Director at the Singapore Eye Research Institute, and Professor at the Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore

"New innovations in the diagnosis and measurement of the response to treatment of chronic eye conditions offer hope to all the millions of patients who suffer from these eye diseases.  Our eye research institute invested in leading-edge technology to boost our capabilities to improve the understanding of eye diseases and speed up development of new ways to treat these conditions.  The SCIEX TripleTOF^® 5600 System is a strategic tool for us to accomplish our goals with the versatility of both large and small molecule analysis, ultimately intended to improve people's quality of life."

Dave Hicks, Vice President and General Manager of the Pharmaceutical and Proteomics Business, SCIEX

"The use of TripleTOF^® 5600 for eye research is another example of how SCIEX technology is used across an increasingly wide variety of applications.  Our customers, such as the researchers at the Singapore Eye Research Institute, trust us to deliver innovative tools and scientific expertise that help them achieve what they set out to do as they push the limits of biomedical research. With our recent advancements in mass spectrometry technology, the possibilities for breakthrough research have never been greater."

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