Advances in characterizing disease at the molecular level are increasingly recognized as central to the future of health care. The diagnostics industry has developed powerful methods to locate, quantify, and identify metabolites, nucleic acids, and proteins. There is currently no general diagnostics strategy, however, to determine protein functional status, especially in cells or intact tissue. Ensemble has developed assays, based on DNA-Programmed Chemistry™ (DPC™) that demonstrate this capability.

Ensemble's BioDetection platform is based on the use of DPC to control individual chemical reactions in response to the presence of a biological analyte, forming a new compound with signaling capability which is then detected. These Programmed Bioassays will be valuable in both research and clinical diagnostic settings for cancer diagnosis and treatment prediction, and specifically have developed reagents to detect BCR/ABL and ERBB family of receptor tyrosine kinases. Additionally, the BioDetection platform can be configured for a variety of formats including solution assays, fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS), immunohistochemistry (IHC) and as molecular imaging agents.

Ensemble has developed methods for the sensitive detection of both nucleic acids and proteins. Analyte-recognition elements can be DNA-based or antibodies, aptamers or small molecules for protein detection. These DPC based BioDetection probes are unique in that they do not generate a signal until two complementary probes, each recognizing a different target element, bind to their targets. This is based on a single DPC reaction as shown below.

The altered structure of proteins or multimeric protein complexes underlies the mechanism of many diseases and is the focus of intense activity in medicine and drug discovery. Currently, there are no assay platforms that can easily detect and measure modified proteins and protein complexes, particularly in intact cells and tissues such as tumor biopsies. Such assessment is critical because understanding protein function in the cellular or tissue environment is the most direct means of insight into health and disease.

Ensemble's Biodetection Programs are methods designed for cancer diagnosis and treatment prediction, and specifically have developed reagents to detect BCR/ABL and ERBB family of receptor tyrosine kinases. Additionally, another important application of Ensemble Therapeutics' DPC technology is for in situ generation of chemical signals and development of bioassays that use those signals as research tools, diagnostic products, and molecular imaging agents.

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