Can Purdue Tool for Quantitative Protein Analysis Outperform ICAT?
Researchers at Purdue University claim they have developed a new way to quantitatively analyze proteins, according to a presentation at the Association of Biomolecular Resources Facilities conference, held in Savannah, Ga. last week. The new method, called Isotope Coded Quaternary Amine Tags, or ICQAT, takes advantage of the fact that derivitized cysteine amino acids have a positive charge that can be retained by a strong cation exchanger. The technique is also less expensive than the ICAT quantification method, according to at least one proteomics scientist. Samir Julka, a graduate student in Fred Regnier’s laboratory at Purdue University, whose presentation at ABRF described ICQAT, said the ICQAT method has not been commercialized, but that his research group is considering commercializing it. In the future, ICQAT may also be used to compare quantities of multiple samples, much like Applied Biosystems’ iTRAQ, said Julka. “We are currently working on four cysteine reagents with differ
