Bozeman, Montana
April 15, 2013
Montana Molecular has been invited to present at the Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening 2013 SLAS Asia Conference scheduled for June 5-7 in Shanghai, China. The selection committee extended the invitation to the Bozeman firm for their innovative fluorescent biosensor technologies that enable cell-based drug discovery. The invitation includes sponsored travel expenses, registration, and the opportunity to meet with biotech and pharmaceutical industry leaders at the 2013 SLAS Asia conference.
“This is a true milestone for Montana Molecular. SLAS Asia is an opportunity to show leaders in our industry what we’re capable of, and how the technologies we’re developing could change the future of drug discovery and produce new treatments for disease”, said Montana Molecular’s President, Anne Marie Quinn.
The 2013 SLAS Asia Conference is a showcase for cutting-edge products and research findings. Montana Molecular staff scientist, Paul Tewson, will discuss the company’s multiplex assay technology for detecting G-Protein Coupled Receptor signaling.
”Our genetically encoded assays provide a kinetic readout of diacylglycerol in living cells, and can be multiplexed with assays for other second messengers. The signal is so robust that screening can be done on standard fluorescence plate readers. This is probably the first major innovation in GPCR screening since the FLIPR assay ”, added Quinn.
The invitation to present at SLAS Asia comes on the heels of a flurry of awards and achievements for Montana Molecular over the past year:
In August 2012, Montana Molecular received international attention with the publication “Simultaneous Detection of Ca2+ and Diacylglycerol Signaling in Living Cells” in the Public Library of Science journal, PLoS One.
In December 2012, SLAS named Montana Molecular as a top finalist for their Innovation of the Year Award. Over 70 applicants competed for the recognition.
In January 2013, Montana Molecular received a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Science Foundation to support expansion of their fluorescent biosensor technology. The grant was subsequently matched by the State of Montana.
In February 2013 the Journal for the Association of Laboratory Automation (JALA) tapped Montana Molecular for their prestigious “Ten Breakthroughs in Innovation” list. Montana Molecular was named alongside research powerhouses including M.I.T. ,Harvard and the University of California.
In March 2013 Montana Molecular filed a PCT patent application for their GPCR assays and was nominated in the “Technologies of Tomorrow” category in the “Buzz of Bio” competition for the Bio International Convention.
In April 2013, The Journal of Biomolecular Screening published the company’s research article “A Multiplexed Fluorescent Assay for Independent Second-Messenger Systems: Decoding GPCR Activation in Living Cells.”
Montana Molecular’s fluorescent assay technologies are available for evaluation and licensing.
Company research is sponsored by National Institutes of Health SBIR 1R43MH096670, National Science Foundation SBIR 1248138, Montana Board of Research and Commercialization Technologies #11-37, Montana SBIR Matching Funds #12-50 and #13-50.
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