BPS Bioscience, Inc. Introduces New Tools and Services to Accelerate PD-1/PD-L Research

SAN DIEGO - Oct. 31, 2013 - PRLog -- BPS Bioscience, Inc. (“BPS”) announces the availability of recombinant proteins, assay kits and screening/profiling service for Programmed Cell Death Protein 1 (PD-1) and its ligands (PD-L), PD-L1 and PD-L2.

PD-1, also known as PDCD1 and CD279, is an immunomodulatory receptor present on the surface of activated T cells and other immune cells.  PD-1 has two ligands, PD-L1 (B7-H1, CD274) and PD-L2 (B7-DC, CD273), which are upregulated in most human cancers.  Binding of PD-L1 to PD-1 negatively regulates T cell signaling and inhibits cytotoxic T cell activity, allowing the cancer cells to escape immune detection.

A number of pharmaceutical companies are actively developing monoclonal antibodies targeting PD-1 and PD-L1.  These antibodies  are believed to boost the immune system for the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer, melanoma, and bladder, renal, and triple-negative breast cancers.  The PD-1/PD-L pathway is also a therapeutic target for chronic viral-infections including HIV and HCV. PD-1 expression is upregulated on virus-specific T cells, and blockade of this system is hoped to decrease viral load by increasing  T cell function.  Additionally, the PD-1/PD-L interaction regulates self-tolerance and immunologic homeostasis, making these proteins promising drug targets for many autoimmune disorders including multiple sclerosis, arthritis, lupus, and type I diabetes.

BPS now offers a number of new tools to promote PD-1/PD-L research and drug discovery:

 ●    High purity recombinant extracellular domains of PD-1, PD-L1, and PD-L2 proteins:  These proteins are also available biotinylated with AviTag™ technology for detection assays.

 ●    Four unique assay kits: These convenient assay kits are designed to screen monoclonal antibody or small molecule antagonists of PD-1 binding to either of the PD-L ligands.  The kits are optimized for high-throughput screening applications using chemiluminescence detection.

 ●    Screening and profiling services for PD-1, PD-L1, and PD-L2:  BPS’s customizable services can determine IC50 values or screen multiple compounds against a single protein for the identification and evaluation of lead drug candidates.

BPS is the first company to offer assay kits and services for screening inhibitors of the PD-1/PD-L pathway.  BPS plans to continue assisting researchers identify and validate novel drug targets by offering additional PD-1-related products and services in the coming months.

To learn more about BPS Bioscience’s PD-1/PD-L products and services, please visit our website at http://bpsbioscience.com/product-search?search=&model=&body=pd-l

AviTag™ is a trademark of Avidity, LLC.

About BPS Bioscience

BPS Bioscience, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of recombinant proteins and assay kits for life science and drug discovery research.  In addition to the PD-1 and PD-L products, BPS offers Acetyltransferases, Bromodomains, HDACs, Histone Demethylases, Methyltransferases, Kinases, Phosphatases, Phosphodiesterases, Poly ADP Ribose Polymerases (PARPs), Proteases, and Ubiquitin Enzymes.  BPS also provides custom protein expression, biochemical and cell-based assays, and compound screening and profiling services.  Headquartered in San Diego, California, BPS has provided products and services to pharmaceutical companies and academic institutes in over 45 countries worldwide. By being at the forefront of technology development, BPS provides innovative, high quality life science products and services in a timely manner to help our customers accelerate drug discovery and development for the treatment of human diseases.

Visit BPS’s website for more information: http://www.bpsbioscience.com.