Bio-Rad Laboratories has announced that it is coordinating a proteomics initiative focused on the standardisation of 2D gel electrophoresis methods.
Bio-Rad added that Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research and Nonlinear Dynamics are coordinating the proteomics community's efforts to develop standards and validated protocols that will ensure reproducibility in 2D gel electrophoresis applications.
A component of the Fixing Proteomics Campaign, initiated during the 6th Hupo Annual World Congress in Korea in October 2007, the goal is to restore credibility to the field by pushing for greater reproducibility of 2D gel experiments.
Kumar Bala, marketing manager at Bio-Rad, said: 'The proteomics community needs confidence that the results of their 2D gels, a core tool for proteomics and biomarker discovery, are reproducible and thus reflect biologically significant phenomena.
'By helping to coordinate the 2D gel reproducibility project, Bio-Rad hopes to do its part in restoring credibility to proteomics research.' At the 7th Hupo Annual World Congress in Amsterdam in August 2008, Dr Hans Voshol, senior scientist protein sciences at the Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, presented Phase I results of the 2D Gel Reproducibility Project.
He demonstrated that protein expression analysis based on 2D-Page was reproducible across five independent labs despite using three different isoelectric focusing instruments.
Voshol said: 'The data from Phase I was convincing in showing that with some level of standardisation, one can take full advantage of the inherent reproducibility of 2D gels.
'With the help of Bio-Rad, we are now expanding the study to additional labs around the globe to provide a validated protocol and a reference sample to go with it.' A total of 15 labs from seven different countries have now volunteered to participate in Phase II of the Reproducibility Project.
The object is to standardise a 2D gel protocol using a common sample and demonstrate lab-to-lab reproducibility regardless of platform.
The goal is to work with Hupo to define a standard sample and a method for validating the performance and reproducibility of their 2D process as well as to encourage global education of these protocols to ensure inter-lab reproducibility with 2D results.
As part of its global campaign for 2009, Bio-Rad plans on conducting wet lab clinics for its customers to point out potential pitfalls and recommended solutions for reproducible results.
Bio-Rad is coordinating the participants' involvement in Phase II, including qualifying and enrolling labs and supplying reagents to conduct the 2D gel experiments.
The labs have completed their 2D gel experiments on their own platforms using Bio-Rad's or their own reagents and a common reference HeLa cell sample supplied by CILBiotech.
Nonlinear Dynamics is providing the technology that makes this project possible and performing the analysis of the participants' 2D gels.
Success will be achieved if the 2D gel images of the 15 labs match the standard image.
Phase II results will be presented at the 8th Hupo Annual World Congress in Toronto on 26-30 September 2009 and will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal thereafter.
