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The PPSQ-51A/53A Protein Sequencer Edman Degradation Unit (Right) and Liquid Chromatograph (Left)

On June 19, Shimadzu Corporation released the PPSQ-51A/53A SPD-40 model protein sequencers. These instruments can be used to analyze the amino acid sequences in proteins, such as for quality control of antibody drugs or peptide drugs and has " suitable for routine operations " and " offer accurate and reliable analytical performance.". Once samples are loaded, all steps through amino acid sequence prediction are performed automatically. Shimadzu is the only company in the world that manufactures and sells protein sequencers.

Proteins are molecules with a structure consisting of connected amino acids and with protein functions that differ depending on the type and order of amino acids connected. Protein sequencers perform Edman degradation in the system to sequentially cleave the N-terminus^* of proteins and analyze the cleaved amino acids by LC, making it easy to determine the amino acid sequence of even unknown proteins. 

Principle of Analysis Using a Protein Sequencer

In recent years, antibody drugs and peptide drugs, which are expected to be highly effective while suppressing side effects because of their high target specificity, have been becoming more widespread. To ensure the quality and safety of such drugs, it is important to analyze their amino acid sequences. Consequently, there has been growing demand for protein sequencers used for that purpose. For quality control applications, users need systems that are suitable for routine operations and that offer accurate and reliable analytical performance. The newly released PPSQ-51A/53A SPD-40 models are an easy-to-use analytical system equipped with a detector that offers excellent maintainability and data stability. Because all steps after placing samples are performed automatically, including Edman degradation, LC analysis, and amino acid sequence estimation, trustworthy analytical results can be obtained easily and reliably, regardless of the operator skill level.

Under its new medium-term management plan starting this fiscal year, Shimadzu will continue to focus on the life science market, including pharmaceuticals and foods. Consequently, Shimadzu will expand/improve the line of products designed to supply accurate core analytical technologies for supporting R&D and quality control activities, to generate high-quality data, and to satisfy labor-saving needs.

• * The terminal structure of amino acid chains that make up proteins and peptides. In antibody drugs, regions important for binding to antigens (targets) are located on the N-terminal side.

Features

1. The Only Protein Sequencer Manufacturer and Sales Company in the World

Shimadzu has been a pioneer in the manufacture and sale of protein sequencers for 40 years. Using the technologies cultivated during that time, Shimadzu has been developing products that are especially easy to use by quality control departments at pharmaceutical companies.

2. Ease of Use Suitable for Routine Work

The detector is easy to maintain and offers excellent data consistency, ensuring analytical results that do not vary depending on operator’s skill level. Because analyses can be started easily by simply placing the purified protein and dedicated reagent in the system, the system is easy to use.

3. Simple and Reliable Analytical System

The optional LabSolutions PPSQ software includes optimized Edman degradation reaction programs and LC analytical conditions, eliminating the need to evaluate the settings. After LC analysis, the software automatically estimatesthe amino acid sequence of proteins based on the chromatograms obtained. By improving the efficiency of data management and network operations, the LabSolutions DB/CS analytical database systems offer assistance with efficiently complying with data integrity requirements.

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PPSQ-51A/53A SPD-40