Sigma-Aldrich and Atlas Antibodies Establish Exclusive Distribution Partnership

Sigma-Aldrich announced an exclusive partnership with Atlas Antibodies to distribute Prestige Antibodies™ -- developed by the Human Proteome Resource -- to the proteomics and cell biology research communities. Initially consisting of 1800 antibodies, the library is expected to grow by several thousand per year with the goal of producing at least one antibody to all 22,000 non-redundant human proteins by 2015. Through this partnership, Sigma-Aldrich is granted exclusive distribution rights in the U.S. and all regions outside of Europe, with co-exclusive distribution rights in Europe.

Prestige Antibodies™ are highly characterized and offer significant value to the research community. Each antibody is highly validated for specificity and accompanied by over 500 immunohistochemical images, which are displayed in the publicly accessible Human Protein Atlas. In addition, Prestige Antibodies™ are optimized on a single protocol and tailored for high throughput operations, providing significant time and cost savings for researchers. The antibodies are designed to have low cross-reactivity to other human proteins and to work in a variety of applications and tissue preparations. All Prestige Antibodies™ are tested in multiple assurance steps to ensure that they are the most specific products on the market.

"We are delighted to have been chosen as the exclusive distributor of Prestige Antibodies™, and we expect to release substantial additions to the catalog annually," said Dr. David Smoller, President of Sigma-Aldrich's Research Biotech business unit. "By making these high quality and highly validated antibodies accessible to proteomics and cell biology researchers worldwide, Sigma-Aldrich is helping to further promote the study of disease."

Atlas Antibodies is a biotech company established in 2006 to produce the antibodies identified by the Human Proteome Resource (HPR), a major component of the Human Proteome Organization (HUPO) that is systematically exploring the human proteome using antibody-based proteomics. As the library developed by Atlas Antibodies grows each year, Sigma-Aldrich will expand its catalog of Prestige Antibodies™.

"Sigma-Aldrich offers a recognized brand name and an established distribution network that will help us bring our antibodies to market", said Marianne Hansson, co-founder and CEO of Atlas Antibodies. "This partnership will enable Atlas Antibodies to reach all of the proteomics and cell biology researchers who will benefit from the unprecedented specification of the Prestige Antibodies™."

Prestige Antibodies™ are available via the article webpage, where customers can search for available antibodies by specific gene name and ID, or by browsing individual chromosomes.