BRKR Bruker Corporation

At the 2005 ASMS Conference, Bruker Daltonics Inc. and Serva Electrophoresis GmbH today announce their new co-marketing agreement, and present the ICPL(TM) stable isotope labeling technology developed by Drs. Friedrich Lottspeich and Josef Kellermann at the Max-Planck-Institute of Biochemistry in Martinsried, Germany. The novel Isotope Coded Protein Label (ICPL) technology enables true quantitation of differentially expressed proteins with an unmatched dynamic range due to the optional combination with intact protein fractionation steps. In contrast to other isotope labeling approaches, the ICPL labeling step is not limited to the peptide level but was developed to be applied on the protein level. For complex proteomes, the complexity of the resulting peptide mixtures typically exceeds the capacity of 1D or 2D peptide chromatographic steps and requires reduction of complexity. As a unique feature, ICPL allows such reduction of complexity on the protein level by chromatographic or other fractionation steps without any sacrifice on quantitation accuracy. All lysine side chains are modified by the ICPL tag, introducing a mass difference of 6 Da per labeled site. Multiple peptides from each protein usually carry the ICPL-tags after proteolysis which allows robust statistics. The ICPL chemistry even leads to the detection of modified peptides with increased sensitivity in MS. The ICPL workflow is compatible with all established LC- or gel-based protein and peptide fractionation and separation techniques, and with all mass spectrometer types on the market including ion traps. Protein identification and quantitation can be obtained after protein digestion either with ESI-MS/MS on Bruker Daltonics HCTultra ion trap or micrOTOF-Q Q-q-TOF system, or using MALDI-MS/MS on the ultraflex II TOF/TOF. ICPL-based quantitative analysis is fully supported by Bruker Daltonics' PROTEINEER-LC 1.1 suite providing automated analysis and data validation. Through the co-marketing agreement between Bruker Daltonics and SERVA, the SERVA ICPL kit can now be obtained worldwide from Bruker Daltonics. Dr. Detlev Suckau, Head of proteomics development at Bruker Daltonics, stated: "We consider the new ICPL labeling technology a breakthrough for true quantitation in proteomics and biomarker discovery. For the first time, entire proteomes can be analyzed quantitatively and on solid statistical grounds. The bioinformatics packages within our PROTEINEER-LC 1.1 suite will help our customers to run ICPL analyses very conveniently in order to obtain validated data quickly. The ICPL kits represent a great step forward towards high-content proteomics in combination with our outstanding LC-MS/MS instrumentation. We are very pleased and look forward to a productive collaboration with Serva Electrophoresis GmbH." Barbara Mueller of SERVA Electrophoresis GmbH, Heidelberg, said: "SERVA is a leading supplier of electrophoresis specialty products, and is the exclusively licensed distributor of the unique ICPL kits. Under the co-marketing agreement with Bruker Daltonics, new avenues of application are expected with a clear benefit to the proteomics community." ICPL Inventor Professor Friedrich Lottspeich commented: "Key to the success of proteomics technology is that quantitative information on proteins can be obtained fast and reliably with a high dynamic range in order to access low abundant proteins. These are typically the proteins that matter. That absolutely requires the proteome fractionation on the protein level and not only on the peptide level. The ICPL technology was designed to provide reliable quantitation due to data redundancy and the compatibility with any combination of protein fractionation technologies, including 1D or 2D gel electrophoresis or protein LC. I am delighted that this powerful technology will now be made available to the scientific community." ABOUT SERVA ELECTROPHORESIS GMBH SERVA Electrophoresis GmbH is an independent company with offices in Heidelberg and Uetersen, Germany. SERVA is committed to supply top quality reagents and specialty products through a global distribution network. Our mission is to provide innovative products for protein analytics and proteome research originating from know-how in electrophoresis available at SERVA for decades, and through collaborations with partners. SERVA's commitment is to adapt to the changing needs of protein scientists while providing consistent product quality under its ISO 9001:2000 certification. ABOUT BRUKER BIOSCIENCES (NASDAQ: BRKR) Bruker BioSciences Corporation, headquartered in Billerica, Massachusetts, is the publicly traded parent company of Bruker Daltonics Inc. and Bruker AXS Inc. Bruker AXS is a leading developer and provider of life science and advanced materials research tools based on x-ray technology. Bruker Daltonics is a leading developer and provider of innovative life science tools based on mass spectrometry. Bruker Daltonics also offers a broad line of nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) detection systems for homeland security. For more information: www.bruker-biosciences.com CAUTIONARY STATEMENT OF BRUKER BIOSCIENCES Any statements contained in this press release that do not describe historical facts may constitute forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any forward-looking statements contained herein are based on current expectations, but are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. The factors that could cause actual future results to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties relating to the Company's reorganization strategies, integration risks, failure of conditions, technological approaches, product development, market acceptance, cost and pricing of the Company's products, changes in governmental regulations, capital spending and government funding policies, FDA and other regulatory approvals to the extent applicable, competition, the intellectual property of others, patent protection and litigation. These and other factors are identified and described in more detail in our filings with the SEC, including, without limitation, our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2004, our most recent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and our current reports on Form 8-K. We disclaim any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.