Assessment of Epidrug efficacy

Next-generation sequencing has revealed that more than 50% of human cancers harbour mutations in enzymes that are involved in chromatin organization. Tumour cells are not only activated by genetic and epigenetic alterations, but also routinely use epigenetic processes to ensure their escape from chemotherapy and host immune surveillance. Hence, a growing emphasis of recent drug discovery efforts has been on targeting the epigenome, including DNA methylation and histone modifications, with several new drugs being tested and some already approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). As epigenetic drugs target the epigenome as a whole, these true ‘genomic medicines’ lessen the need for precision approaches to individualized therapies.

We from EpiQMAx can monitor and quantify effects on histone modifications of potential epidrugs by means of very precise and accurate mass spectrometry measurements. We are able to quantify more than 80 different histone modifications either relatively or absolutely. This enables customers to proof the estimated drug mechanisms as well as any side effects on other histone modifications.
Moreover, we are able to offer drug efficacy assessments in order to measure the effect of a drug on protein abundances/expression and modifications. By means of mass spectrometry we are able to measure very sensitively. Therefore, we can even analyze effects in low-input materials or in low-concentration samples.
Finally, using our preparation KIT in combination with a very fast mass spectrometry measurement, we can provide efficacy assessment for (pre-)clinical studies and high-throughput analyses.