Enzo Biochem, Inc.’s (NYSE:ENZ) Enzo Life Sciences division today
announced the addition of a new apoptosis detection kit for monitoring
chromatin condensation to its rapidly expanding CELLestial™ product line
for live cell analysis.
Enzo showcased the capabilities of the new assay in a scientific poster
presentation entitled "Monitoring Apoptotic Nuclear Condensation
Using Fluorescence Microscopy, Flow Cytometry and Microplate-based
Instrumentation Platforms”, at the prestigious 8th Cell
Death Conference which just commenced at the Cold Spring Harbor
Laboratory in Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. The presentation demonstrated
that blue-fluorescent small molecule compounds, such as camptothecin,
strongly interfere with nuclear condensation measurement based upon
Hoechst dye but do not impact Enzo’s Nuclear-ID™ Green assay.
Enzo’s Nuclear-ID™ Green Chromatin Condensation System provides a rapid
and convenient assay for one of the more prominent hallmarks of
late-stage apoptosis, nuclear condensation. The Nuclear-ID™ Green dye is
a novel 488 nm-excitable green-emitting fluorescent probe that is
capable of detecting drug-induced DNA condensation in live cells. The
easy-to-use, no wash, mix-and-read protocol differentiates between
healthy cells and apoptotic cells with condensed nuclei. The system is
compatible with all instruments capable of monitoring FITC or GFP.
"Our Nuclear-ID™ Green Chromatin Condensation Kit is a major
breakthrough for the rapid screening of agents that induce apoptotic
cell death, which is potentially useful in identifying compounds for the
treatment of diseases such as cancer," said Wayne Patton, PhD, Chief
Scientific Officer of Enzo Life Sciences. "The Nuclear-ID™ Green reagent
provides customers with the ability to rapidly analyze apoptosis on a
variety of common instrument platforms without investing in expensive
ancillary equipment, such as violet lasers.”
Using flow cytometry, nuclear condensation is detected as the population
of cells with 40-fold enhanced brightness relative to healthy
counterparts with the novel assay. Potential applications for live-cell
studies using the kit include monitoring the stages of chromatin
condensation, rapid testing of compounds that induce apoptosis, and as a
quick test to determine the health status of cells grown in culture.
About Enzo
Enzo Biochem is engaged in the research, development, manufacture and
licensing of innovative health care products and technologies based on
molecular biology and genetic engineering techniques, and in providing
diagnostic services to the medical community. Enzo’s Life Sciences
division develops, produces and markets proprietary labeling and
detection products for gene sequencing, genetic analysis and
immunological research among others. Its catalog of over 30,000 products
serves the molecular biology, drug discovery and pathology research
markets. The Company's therapeutic division is in various stages of
clinical evaluation of its proprietary immune regulation medicines for
uveitis and Crohn's disease and conducts pre-clinical research on
several candidate compounds aimed at producing new mineral and organic
bone, including technology that could provide therapy for osteoporosis
and fractures, among other applications. Enzo’s Clinical Labs division
provides routine and esoteric reference laboratory services for
physicians in the New York Metropolitan and New Jersey areas.
Underpinning the Company’s technology and operations is an extensive
intellectual property estate in which Enzo owns or licenses over 240
patents worldwide, and has pending applications for over 200 more. For
more information visit our website www.enzo.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
Except for historical information, the matters discussed in this news
release may be considered "forward-looking" statements within the
meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and
Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such
statements include declarations regarding the intent, belief or current
expectations of the Company and its management. Investors are cautioned
that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future
performance and involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could
materially affect actual results. The Company disclaims any obligations
to update any forward-looking statement as a result of developments
occurring after the date of this press release.
