Released on = May 3, 2007, 3:56 pm

Press Release Author = GTCbio

Industry = Pharmaceuticals

Press Release Summary = Dr. Dominique Perrin, Group Leader of Biochemical
Pharmacology at Merck Serono International in Switzerland will give a presentation
entitled "Phosphatases Inhibitors: from Screening to Biological Activities" at
GTCbio's 2nd Assay Development & High Throughput Screening Conference on May 31-June
1 in Boston, MA.

Press Release Body = Dr. Dominique Perrin, Group Leader of Biochemical Pharmacology
at Merck Serono International in Switzerland will give a presentation entitled
"Phosphatases Inhibitors: from Screening to Biological Activities" at GTCbio's 2nd
Assay Development & High Throughput Screening Conference on May 31-June 1 in Boston,
MA.

Protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) play key roles in regulating tyrosine
phosphorylation levels in cells. Since the discovery of PTP1B as a major drug target
for diabetes and obesity, PTPs have emerged as a new and promising class of
signaling targets for drug development in a variety of therapeutic areas.
Phosphatase screening in-house was based either on generic substrate
6,8-difluoro-4-methyumbelliferyl phosphate (DiFMUP) using fluorescence intensity
readout or on specific phosphopeptides using an off-chip mobility shift assay.
Whilst assay robustness and sensitivity were comparable for both assays, the
mobility shift assay required a longer development time due to identification and
synthesis of a specific peptide and its cost per data point was higher. However
whilst most scaffolds found with DiFMUP assay were confirmed in the mobility shift
format, this latter assay allowed the identification of novel, more drug-like
chemical scaffolds.
Outcomes of screening campaigns as well as biological activities of positives will
be presented.

GTCbio's 2nd Assay Development & High Throughput Screening Conference on May 31-June
1 will take place at the Omni Parker House in downtown Boston, MA. The meeting will
be held concurrently with GTCbio's 2nd Protein Kinases in Drug Discovery Conference.


For more information including a detailed agenda, exhibitor opportunities and
registration information visit
http://www.gtcbio.com/conference/conferenceDetails.aspx?id

Web Site = http://www.gtcbio.com

Contact Details = GTCbio organizes conferences specifically for the biomedical and
biopharmaceutical industries. Our goal is to facilitate the exchange of
biopharmaceutical and biomedical intelligence between industry leaders, academic and
government organizations, and the financial community.

GTCbio is a subsidiary of Global Technology Community, LLC, a privately held company
founded in 2002.

Contact: GTCBIO (626) 256-6405, (626) 256-6460 fax, raniah@gtcbio.com