Biognosys, Boehringer Ingelheim Partner for Protein Studies of IPF

Biognosys and Boehringer Ingelheim are working together to expand the use of cutting-edge technologies for large-scale protein analysis in drug discovery, beginning with a study of potential new treatment approaches to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

Biognosys announced that it will bring its expertise in proteomics — the study of total protein content in an organism — to streamlining Boehringer Ingelheim’s drug development platforms.

The collaboration’s initial focus will be on developing applications for fibrotic diseases. Their IPF study is meant to serve as a proof-of-principle for their therapeutic approach.

In this test, researchers will use Biognosys’ proprietary Hyper Reaction Monitoring (HRM) technology to comprehensively profile the proteome of a preclinical mouse model of IPF, in the hope of obtaining new insights into the disease’s biology .

By analyzing all the proteins found in a large number of mouse lung tissue samples, the companies hope to acquire data needed to develop new treatment approaches specific to IPF.

HRM is a type of mass spectrometry, an analytical technique used to identify proteins by the ratio of their mass to their electrical charge. HRM aims to precisely identify and quantify up to 9,000 proteins per sample in a single shot, without the need to label them first.

Another reported advantage of the HRM platform is that it simultaneously analyzes multiple protein fragments, in a process that the company calls “data independent acquisition” or DIA.

The combined technique, called HRM/DIA, measures quantities of each protein in a given sample, in a format that researchers can interpret without the need for expert knowledge, it reports. The software behind the technology generates a digital “protein map” that can be revisited and reinterpreted at any time without the need for repeat measurements of the original sample.

“This collaboration is a great example of how proteomics technologies are becoming essential tools in drug discovery programs. We are committed to working closely with Boehringer Ingelheim to make discovery proteomics an integral part of preclinical research,” Oliver Rinner, PhD, CEO of Biognosys, said in a company press release.

Boehringer Ingelheim plans to implement the single-shot HRM/DIA capability on its own, using Biognosys’ Spectronaut software. Spectronaut analyzes DIA experiments, quantitatively profiling from hundreds to several thousands of proteins in one experiment.