ST. LOUIS, March 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Sigma Life
Science, the innovative biological products and services research
business of Sigma-Aldrich® (Nasdaq: SIAL), announced that its SAGE
Labs initiative has created a suite of knockout rat models of
Parkinson's disease in collaboration with The Michael J. Fox
Foundation for Parkinson's Research (MJFF). Developed using the
proprietary SAGEspeed™ model creation process, these off-the-shelf
rat models represent a breakthrough in Parkinson's disease
research, overcoming the inherent limitations of the existing mouse
models. For more information, on these animal models visit
http://www.sageresearchmodels.com
Knockout rat models offer significant advantages over the
existing mouse models, which do not effectively mimic the symptoms
of Parkinson's disease in humans. The neuronal circuitry of the rat
model more closely imitates that of humans, better demonstrating
the disease symptoms, and rats' size and behavior allow researchers
to perform a variety of experimental procedures more easily than in
mice. In collaboration with MJFF, SAGE Labs has used Sigma Life
Science's CompoZr® Zinc Finger Nuclease (ZFN) technology to create
a range of knockout rat models specific to Parkinson's disease,
based on existing knowledge of the key genes implicated in the
disease. This groundbreaking collection of rat models currently
includes LRRK2, Parkin, Pink1 and DJ-1 knockouts which will help
researchers accelerate investigation of novel therapeutic
strategies for Parkinson's disease.
"This collaboration with The Michael J. Fox Foundation for
Parkinson's Research highlights the enormous potential of our
CompoZr and SAGEspeed technology platforms, and displays our
commitment to providing the scientific community with tools for
cutting-edge research into diseases that afflict the human
population," said Dr. Edward
Weinstein, Director of SAGE Labs at Sigma Life Science.
Cautionary statement: The foregoing release contains
forward-looking statements that can be identified by terminology
such as "represent a major step," "may serve," "opens the doors,"
"will become" or similar expressions, or by expressed or implied
discussions regarding potential future revenues from products
derived therefrom. You should not place undue reliance on these
statements. Such forward-looking statements reflect the current
views of management regarding future events, and involve known and
unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause
actual results to be materially different from any future results,
performance or achievements expressed or implied by such
statements. There can be no guarantee that knockout rats will
achieve any particular levels of revenue in the future. In
particular, management's expectations regarding knockout rats could
be affected by, among other things, unexpected regulatory actions
or delays or government regulation generally; the Company's ability
to obtain or maintain patent or other proprietary intellectual
property protection; competition in general; government, industry
and general public pricing pressures; the impact that the foregoing
factors could have on the values attributed to the Company's assets
and liabilities as recorded in its consolidated balance sheet, and
other risks and factors referred to in Sigma-Aldrich's current Form
10-K on file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Should
one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should
underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary
materially from those anticipated, believed, estimated or expected.
Sigma-Aldrich is providing the
information in this press release as of this date and does not
undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements
contained in this press release as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise.
About Sigma Life Science: Sigma Life Science is a
Sigma-Aldrich business that represents the Company's leadership in
innovative biological products and services for the global life
science market and offers an array of biologically-rich products
and reagents that researchers use in scientific investigation.
Product areas include biomolecules, genomics and functional
genomics, cells and cell-based assays, transgenics, protein assays,
stem cell research, epigenetics and custom
services/oligonucleotides. Sigma Life Science also provides an
extensive range critical bioessentials like biochemicals,
antibiotics, buffers, carbohydrates, enzymes, forensic tools,
hematology and histology, nucleotides, amino acids and their
derivatives, and cell culture media.
About Sigma-Aldrich: Sigma-Aldrich is a leading Life Science and High
Technology company committed to Enabling Science to Improve the
Quality of Life. Its chemical and biochemical products and kits are
used in scientific research, including genomic and proteomic
research, biotechnology, pharmaceutical development and as key
components in pharmaceutical, diagnostic and other high technology
manufacturing. The Company has customers in life science companies,
university and government institutions, hospitals, and in industry.
Over one million scientists and technologists use its products.
Sigma-Aldrich operates in 40
countries and has 7,900 employees providing excellent service
worldwide. For more information about Sigma-Aldrich, please visit
its award-winning Web site at http://www.sigma-aldrich.com.
Sigma-Aldrich, Sigma and
CompoZr are registered trademarks of Sigma-Aldrich and its
affiliate Sigma-Aldrich Biotechnology, L.P.
SAGE and SAGEspeed are trademarks of Sigma-Aldrich and its
affiliate Sigma-Aldrich Biotechnology, L.P.
SOURCE Sigma Life Science