Download FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact Information: Marcia Goff

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact Information:
Marcia Goff
Thermo Fisher Scientific
+1 508-902-7041
[email protected]
Dana Smith
Gladstone Institutes
+1 415-734-2532
[email protected]
Thermo Fisher Scientific Proteomics Facility for Disease Target Discovery Opens at
Gladstone Institutes
Collaboration with Thermo Fisher, Gladstone, UCSF, and QB3 to Focus on Accelerating Disease
Research using Advanced Proteomics Technologies
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (June 23, 2015) – The Thermo Fisher Scientific Proteomics Facility for Disease
Target Discovery opened today at the Gladstone Institutes, as part of a collaboration between Thermo
Fisher, Gladstone, the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and QB3, to accelerate targeted
proteomics research using the most advanced mass spectrometry technologies.
The Thermo Fisher Scientific Proteomics Facility is directed by Nevan J. Krogan, PhD, senior investigator
at the Gladstone Institutes, professor of cellular and molecular pharmacology at UCSF, and director of the
UCSF division of the life science research institute and startup accelerator QB3. The facility will provide
scientists from Gladstone, UCSF, and QB3 with state-of-the-art mass spectrometry technologies to
characterize protein dynamics in complex biological systems. The technologies will enable scientists to
acquire unprecedented knowledge about the interactions between genes and the proteins they produce,
and help facilitate solutions to unanswered biomedical problems.
Among the various cutting-edge approaches available in the Thermo Fisher Scientific Proteomics Facility
are:
 Creation of high-resolution protein-protein interaction maps and advanced protein
characterization
 Genome-directed proteomic screening and selection
 Ultra-sensitive, quantitative analysis of protein abundance and post-translational modifications
“We know that human cells contain approximately 25,000 genes that instruct the synthesis of many
thousands of proteins, but we understand the function of only a small subset of these,” said R. Sanders
Williams, MD, president and Robert W. and Linda L. Mahley Distinguished Professor, Gladstone
Institutes. “We are deeply grateful to Thermo Fisher for sponsoring this indispensable facility, which will
not only illuminate how genes and proteins function but also shed light on the underlying biology of
disease for each person.”
The facility will showcase the latest mass spectrometers for detailed biological discovery and quantitation,
including the new Orbitrap Fusion Tribrid and TSQ Quantiva Triple Quadrupole LC/MS systems. In
addition to enabling innovative research, the Thermo Fisher facility will be a focal point for promoting
biological applications of mass spectrometry by hosting an invited lecture series, discussion groups,
workshops, and trainings.
“Gladstone, UCSF, QB3, and Dr. Krogan’s lab, including key members such as Jeffrey Johnson, PhD,
have been doing exceptional work in the area of genetic and protein mapping in order to gain insight into
disease pathways and mutations,” said Ken Miller, vice president, research product marketing, Thermo
Fisher. “Through our collaboration, the new facility will enable researchers to apply state-of-the-art
proteomics technologies to this critical area of research. We look forward to building on this collaboration
and seeing the promising discoveries to come.”
“The new Thermo Fisher-sponsored facility will be of great benefit to researchers throughout the UCSF
community and beyond,” said Sam Hawgood, MBBS, chancellor of UCSF. “By using these Thermo Fisher
technologies, scientists will succeed in building comprehensive maps of how genes and proteins
interact—knowledge that may lead to new drug targets for a host of devastating diseases.”
“Thermo Fisher is the perfect partner for this collaboration, both in terms of their technology and their
willingness to support and grow the proteomics community,” stated Dr. Krogan. “Our research is critically
dependent on our ability to perform detailed protein analysis with extreme sensitivity and accuracy. We
require the most advanced mass spectrometers to continue our studies.”
About the Gladstone Institutes
To ensure our work does the greatest good, the Gladstone Institutes focuses on conditions with profound
medical, economic, and social impact—unsolved diseases of the brain, the heart, and the immune
system. Affiliated with the University of California, San Francisco, Gladstone is an independent, nonprofit
life science research organization that uses visionary science and technology to overcome disease.
About UCSF
UCSF is a leading university dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical
research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient
care. It includes top-ranked graduate schools of dentistry, medicine, nursing and pharmacy, a graduate
division with nationally renowned programs in basic, biomedical, translational and population sciences, as
well as a preeminent biomedical research enterprise and two top-ranked hospitals, UCSF Medical Center
and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco.
About QB3
QB3 is a cooperative effort among private industry and more than 250 scientists at UC San Francisco, UC
Berkeley, and UC Santa Cruz. One of four institutes created in 2000 by former California governor Gray
Davis, QB3 has joint missions of supporting science, driving the California economy and transforming
research into public good. QB3 commercializes UC research by supporting entrepreneurs and creating
mutually beneficial partnerships with industry. The effort has led to the launching of hundreds of biotech
startups and significant job creation in the San Francisco Bay Area. QB3 is also affiliated with Mission
Bay Capital, a $36M seed-stage venture capital fund investing in startups in the UC ecosystem. Visit
qb3.org.
About Thermo Fisher Scientific
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. is the world leader in serving science, with revenues of $17 billion and
approximately 50,000 employees in 50 countries. Our mission is to enable our customers to make the
world healthier, cleaner and safer. We help our customers accelerate life sciences research, solve
complex analytical challenges, improve patient diagnostics and increase laboratory productivity. Through
our premier brands – Thermo Scientific, Applied Biosystems, Invitrogen, Fisher Scientific and Unity Lab
Services – we offer an unmatched combination of innovative technologies, purchasing convenience and
comprehensive support. For more information, please visit www.thermofisher.com.
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