The Vancouver Island Technology Park (VITP) is pleased to announce that the Alberta Research Council has decided to open its first British Columbia office at VITP. 

The Alberta Research Council (ARC) is an applied research and development (R&D) corporation that develops and commercializes technology to grow innovative enterprises.  ARC specializes in converting early stage ideas into marketable technology products and services.

ARC employs over 600 scientists, engineers, and professional staff that operate in five facilities located throughout Alberta – in Edmonton, Calgary, Vegreville, Devon and now Victoria. Their customers have access to leading edge expertise, equipment and facilities.  ARC is a not-for-profit corporation that is wholly-owned by the province of Alberta and governed by an eight-member board of directors drawn from the private, public, and higher education sectors.

“We are delighted that the Alberta Research Council has decided to locate their first BC office here at VITP,” says Dale Gann, Vice President of Technology Parks.  “This relationship is reflective of two emerging provinces in the high-tech sector working together towards furthering the knowledge economy within each province.”

The Alberta Research Council is currently located in VITP’s Incubator Facility with the plan of moving into significantly larger space at VITP in Q4 2008.

Fourteen Vancouver Island technology companies worked around the clock to ensure their soapbox cars were race-ready for the 3^rd Annual Victoria Canary Derby Soapbox Race benefiting BC Cancer Foundation and raised an astounding $140,000 exceeding last year's total of $120,000. Proceeds will fund the Canary Project for the early detection of cancer, at the BC Cancer Agency’s Vancouver Island Centre, to help purchase two critical pieces of cancer research equipment for use at the Agency’s Trev & Joyce Deeley Research Centre.   

CEO’s from the Vancouver Island technology community raced against each other in their specially-designed soapbox cars, with an estimated crowd of 1,000 on hand to cheer them on and participate in a BBQ, live entertainment, kid’s activities and more.

“Most cancers can be cured if they are found early,” said Dr. Brad Nelson, director of the BC Cancer Agency’s Deeley Research Centre in Victoria.  “The Canary Foundation is developing innovative blood and imaging tests that will change the way cancer is detected in the future, potentially saving millions of lives around the world. Our team here in Victoria is excited and proud to be part of this project, and we're grateful to the supporters of the Canary Derby for making it possible,” he added.

“I continue to be amazed at the enthusiasm and commitment of the technology community in its support of the Canary Foundation and the early detection of cancer” said Michael Ball, CEO of GenoLogics and Chairman of the Victoria Canary Derby committee. “This support has broadened to Vancouver, where we will host the first Canary Derby in the Lower Mainland, on September 21^st.”

The Canary Derby Soapbox race benefiting the BC Cancer Foundation was held on Saturday, June 14^th, 2008, at the Vancouver Island Technology Park, 4464 Markham Road. For event information or to make a donation, contact Heather Jones at (250) 519-5552 or hjones@bccancer.bc.ca or visit www.canaryderby.com. For more information regarding the Canary Foundation contact Pat McCowan at (206) 660-0439 or pat@canaryfoundation.org.

The BC Cancer Agency’s Abbotsford Centre is the fifth cancer centre in the province (regional centres are also located in Vancouver, Victoria, Kelowna and Surrey) and is scheduled to open on August 24th. It is part of an important provincial network which provides a coordinated cancer control system, including prevention, screening, cancer care, treatment and research.

The BC Cancer Agency’s Abbotsford Centre, integrated within the Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Centre, will be linked to a province-wide system of cancer control, which includes a registry to track cancer outcomes and effectiveness of treatments, and provincial tumor groups which establish treatment protocols based on the best evidence available.

“As part of the BC Cancer Agency provincial cancer control program, Abbotsford will have the most advanced equipment and patients will also benefit from access to leading-edge clinical trials research.” says Dr. Lee Ann Martin, Head of Medical Oncology.

For residents of the Central and Eastern Fraser Valley, the opening of this centre will be of enormous value offering patients the opportunity to receive a spectrum of world-class cancer care services closer to home. It expands the BC Cancer Agency’s ability to pursue innovation, research and improve patient outcomes.

“We are absolutely delighted that we will be offering cancer care closer to home, for patients in the Central and Eastern Fraser Valley,” says Dr. Martin. “When you’re ill, you want to receive care in your community, where you can receive the support of family and friends.”

When fully operational, the new Abbotsford Centre will serve approximately 2,500 new patients annually. Staff at the new centre will provide core services such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy, counselling and support services, pain and symptom management and palliative care, and community prevention education. The new centre has room for 12 chemotherapy chairs to provide outpatient treatment and four state-of-the-art radiation therapy machines, with two CT simulators, for treatment planning.

We’re very proud of the world-class services we’ll be able to offer at the Abbotsford Centre,” says Dr. Martin, “I would encourage the community to come to the public forum and get to know us a little bit better.”

“The BC Cancer Foundation is excited to be in the new BC Cancer Agency's Abbotsford Centre,” says Nick Locke, senior vice president development at the BC Cancer Foundation. “A commitment to research and enhancing patient care can only happen with donor support and the residents of the Central and Eastern Fraser Valley have already shown their generosity and commitment to building a stronger community; the BC Cancer Foundation is honoured to be able to serve that community.”

Promotional video put together by BCTIA.

A Victoria company that analyzes traffic on websites is getting a $3.2-million shot of venture capital from the United States today.

Enquisite Inc., a spin-off of Metamend Software, has developed what it calls the next generation of search analytics, or online tools that provide companies with websites valuable marketing information on who's browsing their material and how they got there.

The investment in Enquisite Inc. was led by Jeff Webber, managing director of the Entrepreneurs Fund III, a San Francisco-based early-stage venture capital pool focused on Web 2.0 software startups.

Richard Zwicky, founder and president of Enquisite Inc., said the cash infusion will be used to build the company's sales and marketing teams, support development of new features and products to the software and continue to build strategic partnerships.

"There is a tremendous need among search marketers to push their website pages to the top in natural search rankings," said Zwicky. "In working with search marketers and industry experts, we developed search-analytics solutions that beam a laser light on the best methods of optimizing a campaign."

Founded in 2006, Enquisite has a user base of more than 4,500 clients and continues to grow. The company's Enquisite Pro is a search-engine referral analysis software package that provides in-depth information about website visitors referred by search engines. It is primarily used by search engine optimization and pay-per-click marketing specialists who use data that ranges from big-picture overviews to specific information on users within a postal or zip code.

Enquisite recently opened a new office on Mission Street in the heart of downtown San Francisco, where it caught the attention of angel investors like Webber.

"Enquisite leapfrogs traditional web-analytics tools with its highly effective focus on search analytics," Webber said in a release. "We chose to fund Enquisite because its products and services benefit not only search-marketing professionals but also the entire search industry by providing tools that further optimize search."

Enquisite's venture-capital windfall is the second for a Victoria firm this month. Flock North, the Victoria arm of San Francisco-based Flock, a social web browser, will get the majority of a $15-million financing round led by Fidelity Ventures.

And it won't likely be the last investment from Silicon Valley, as direct flights to San Francisco starting today from Victoria International Airport are expected to bring local companies and investors closer together.

Dan Gunn, who leads VIATeC, the Island's technology industry association, says the United Airlines flights will bring more attention to emerging companies, but added companies have to show they are worthy of the investment.

He said successfully finding a funding partner is essential to a company like Enquisite.

"Funding announcements like these come with the obvious benefit of providing the money needed to grow a company, but they also demonstrate that the company has successfully built a team and a product with a strong enough business plan to merit significant investment by savvy experts that believe in the potential of the product," said Gunn.

He said recent funding announcements signal to global capital markets that there are strong companies located in Victoria that are worth the investment.

"On top of that, it shows young companies that it is possible and, thanks to our uniquely strong tech community, the entrepreneurs that have enjoyed investment success are willing to guide the next great idea through the process, which saves them time and greatly improves their chances of landing a deal," said Gunn. "It takes years of hard work, retooling and downright determination to find investment, and if we can share key lessons and tips picked up while closing these deals then the next generation of Greater Victoria's emerging technology companies has a distinct advantage."

Municipal Solutions Group (TSX VENTURE:MSZ) announced that it has entered into a share purchase agreement and an asset purchase agreement with N. Harris Computer Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Constellation Software Inc. (TSX:CSU).

Under the terms of the Acquisition Agreements, Municipal has agreed to sell substantially all of its assets, including the shares of its wholly-owned subsidiary, Municipal Software Corporation, (but excluding those assets which constitute Municipal's "Local Government Manager" product ("LGM") which is delivered in the form of Software-as-a-Service ("SaaS")) to Harris in return for up to $5,350,000 (the "Purchase Price"). The Purchase Price will be paid as follows:

(a) a total of $4,350,000 will be paid in cash at closing;

(b) a further $250,000 will be paid in cash on or about 90 days following the closing date ("Holdback 1"); and

(c) a further $750,000 will be paid in cash on or about 18 months following the closing date ("Holdback 2").

Holdback 1 and Holdback 2 are subject to reduction in the event there are claims under the Acquisition Agreements for breaches of those agreements or in the event that the net tangible assets of the business being sold are less than $(750,000) on the closing date.

Municipal proposes to use the proceeds of the sale of Municipal Software Corporation to retire a portion of the debts of the Company and to offer shareholders a choice of redeeming their shares or receiving a partial return of capital and retaining their shares. After the sale, Municipal plans to focus on the development and sale of Software-as-a-Service products.

The Acquisition Agreements contain a standard "superior proposal" provision which allows the board of directors of Municipal to terminate the Acquisition Agreements in the event Municipal receives an unsolicited superior proposal and provided that Municipal pays Harris a break fee of $114,000. In addition, Harris has the right to match any such superior proposal prior to any such termination.

The transactions contemplated by the Acquisition Agreements will require the approval of shareholders by way of a special resolution in which two-thirds of the votes cast on the matter vote in favour of the transaction. Such shareholder approval will be sought at an annual and special meeting of shareholders expected to be held in July 2008. In addition, at that meeting, shareholders will be asked to approve several other matters including:

(a) amendments to the articles of Municipal which will have the effect of permitting shareholders of Municipal to choose two options upon completion of the transactions contemplated by the Acquisition Agreements:

Option 1:

Redeem their existing shares of Municipal in return for an immediate cash payment estimated to be $0.144 per share and a right to receive a pro rata portion of amounts actually received by Municipal from Holdback 1 and Holdback 2. The total sum which will be received by shareholders who choose Option 1 is currently uncertain due to, among other things, the potential for reductions to Holdback 1 and Holdback 2 as a result of the terms of the Acquisition Agreements. However, Municipal currently estimates that the total amount to be received by each shareholder who chooses Option 1 will be approximately $0.175 per share.

Option 2:

Hold their existing shares of Municipal, which will continue to own, develop and sell its current LGM product and may acquire or develop additional SaaS products that are complementary to LGM. Subject to compliance with applicable law and the approval of its directors after completion of the transactions contemplated by the Acquisition Agreements, Municipal expects to return approximately $0.060 per share in capital to each holder who retains shares of Municipal, along with the right to receive a pro rata portion of amounts actually received by Municipal from Holdback 1 and Holdback 2. The total sum which will be received by shareholders who choose Option 2 is currently uncertain due to, among other things, the potential for reductions to Holdback 1 and Holdback 2 as a result of the terms of the Acquisition Agreements and the number of shareholders who choose Option 1. However, Municipal currently estimates that the total amount to be received by each shareholder who chooses Option 2 will be approximately $0.091 per share (and such shareholders will continue to hold their Municipal shares as well).

(b) an amendment to the terms of a total of $950,000 principal amount of 12% convertible debentures previously issued by Municipal to Pender Growth Fund (VCC) Inc. ("Pender Growth Fund") such that the conversion price of such debentures will be reduced from $0.250 per share to $0.175 per share. This resolution will require disinterested shareholder approval at the meeting. A company controlled by a director of Municipal, which holds $50,000 principal amount of these convertible debentures, intends to redeem its debentures and will therefore not benefit from the reduced conversion price.

Shareholders choosing Option 1 above will receive an amount that represents an approximate 112% premium over the average closing price of Municipal's common shares on the TSX Venture Exchange for the previous 20 trading days (before taking into account any additional amounts to be received in connection with Holdback 1 or Holdback 2).

The total amounts per share expected to be received by shareholders who choose Option 1 are currently estimated to be approximately equivalent to the sum of the total payments per share to be received by shareholders who choose Option 2 plus the estimated value of assets per share that will remain in Municipal following the asset sale.

Evans & Evans Inc., an investment banking firm, has provided the board of directors of Municipal with an opinion that the transaction, as structured, is fair from a financial point of view to the shareholders of Municipal. The board of directors has carefully considered all of the terms of the proposed transactions and unanimously resolved to recommend that shareholders approve all necessary resolutions to implement these transactions. Municipal will shortly issue a management proxy circular which will describe all proposed transactions in more detail.

Pender Growth Fund, which currently owns 9,705,106 shares of Municipal representing approximately 52.2% of the total number of issued and outstanding shares of Municipal, has entered into an agreement with Harris pursuant to which it has agreed to vote its shares in favour of the transactions contemplated by the Acquisition Agreements. The terms of the agreement provide that it will automatically terminate if Municipal pays the break fee to Harris as part of a termination of the Acquisition Agreements. In addition, Pender Growth Fund has advised Municipal that it intends to choose "Option 2" described above and will continue to hold its common shares of Municipal after completion of the transactions described herein.

"We're very pleased to announce this transaction with Harris Computer," said David Roberts, Chairman of Municipal. "Harris is a large, respected vendor of software solutions to the local government sector so this is an excellent fit for our customers and staff who will benefit from Harris's substantial resources and their long-term commitment to growth. This deal also offers our shareholders the flexibility of either redeeming their shares at fair value or receiving a partial return of capital and continuing as shareholders as we focus the Company on Software-as-a-Service."

Completion of all of these transactions is subject to a number of conditions, including receipt of all necessary shareholder, stock exchange and regulatory approvals. Municipal expects that an annual and special meeting of shareholders will be held in mid-July, 2008 and, if all necessary approvals are received and conditions are satisfied, closing is expected to follow shortly thereafter. 

Municipal Solutions Group (TSX VENTURE:MSZ) announced that it has entered into a share purchase agreement and an asset purchase agreement with N. Harris Computer Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Constellation Software Inc. (TSX:CSU).

Under the terms of the Acquisition Agreements, Municipal has agreed to sell substantially all of its assets, including the shares of its wholly-owned subsidiary, Municipal Software Corporation, (but excluding those assets which constitute Municipal's "Local Government Manager" product ("LGM") which is delivered in the form of Software-as-a-Service ("SaaS")) to Harris in return for up to $5,350,000 (the "Purchase Price"). The Purchase Price will be paid as follows:

(a) a total of $4,350,000 will be paid in cash at closing;

(b) a further $250,000 will be paid in cash on or about 90 days following the closing date ("Holdback 1"); and

(c) a further $750,000 will be paid in cash on or about 18 months following the closing date ("Holdback 2").

Holdback 1 and Holdback 2 are subject to reduction in the event there are claims under the Acquisition Agreements for breaches of those agreements or in the event that the net tangible assets of the business being sold are less than $(750,000) on the closing date.

Municipal proposes to use the proceeds of the sale of Municipal Software Corporation to retire a portion of the debts of the Company and to offer shareholders a choice of redeeming their shares or receiving a partial return of capital and retaining their shares. After the sale, Municipal plans to focus on the development and sale of Software-as-a-Service products.

The Acquisition Agreements contain a standard "superior proposal" provision which allows the board of directors of Municipal to terminate the Acquisition Agreements in the event Municipal receives an unsolicited superior proposal and provided that Municipal pays Harris a break fee of $114,000. In addition, Harris has the right to match any such superior proposal prior to any such termination.

The transactions contemplated by the Acquisition Agreements will require the approval of shareholders by way of a special resolution in which two-thirds of the votes cast on the matter vote in favour of the transaction. Such shareholder approval will be sought at an annual and special meeting of shareholders expected to be held in July 2008. In addition, at that meeting, shareholders will be asked to approve several other matters including:

(a) amendments to the articles of Municipal which will have the effect of permitting shareholders of Municipal to choose two options upon completion of the transactions contemplated by the Acquisition Agreements:

Option 1:

Redeem their existing shares of Municipal in return for an immediate cash payment estimated to be $0.144 per share and a right to receive a pro rata portion of amounts actually received by Municipal from Holdback 1 and Holdback 2. The total sum which will be received by shareholders who choose Option 1 is currently uncertain due to, among other things, the potential for reductions to Holdback 1 and Holdback 2 as a result of the terms of the Acquisition Agreements. However, Municipal currently estimates that the total amount to be received by each shareholder who chooses Option 1 will be approximately $0.175 per share.

Option 2:

Hold their existing shares of Municipal, which will continue to own, develop and sell its current LGM product and may acquire or develop additional SaaS products that are complementary to LGM. Subject to compliance with applicable law and the approval of its directors after completion of the transactions contemplated by the Acquisition Agreements, Municipal expects to return approximately $0.060 per share in capital to each holder who retains shares of Municipal, along with the right to receive a pro rata portion of amounts actually received by Municipal from Holdback 1 and Holdback 2. The total sum which will be received by shareholders who choose Option 2 is currently uncertain due to, among other things, the potential for reductions to Holdback 1 and Holdback 2 as a result of the terms of the Acquisition Agreements and the number of shareholders who choose Option 1. However, Municipal currently estimates that the total amount to be received by each shareholder who chooses Option 2 will be approximately $0.091 per share (and such shareholders will continue to hold their Municipal shares as well).

(b) an amendment to the terms of a total of $950,000 principal amount of 12% convertible debentures previously issued by Municipal to Pender Growth Fund (VCC) Inc. ("Pender Growth Fund") such that the conversion price of such debentures will be reduced from $0.250 per share to $0.175 per share. This resolution will require disinterested shareholder approval at the meeting. A company controlled by a director of Municipal, which holds $50,000 principal amount of these convertible debentures, intends to redeem its debentures and will therefore not benefit from the reduced conversion price.

Shareholders choosing Option 1 above will receive an amount that represents an approximate 112% premium over the average closing price of Municipal's common shares on the TSX Venture Exchange for the previous 20 trading days (before taking into account any additional amounts to be received in connection with Holdback 1 or Holdback 2).

The total amounts per share expected to be received by shareholders who choose Option 1 are currently estimated to be approximately equivalent to the sum of the total payments per share to be received by shareholders who choose Option 2 plus the estimated value of assets per share that will remain in Municipal following the asset sale.

Evans & Evans Inc., an investment banking firm, has provided the board of directors of Municipal with an opinion that the transaction, as structured, is fair from a financial point of view to the shareholders of Municipal. The board of directors has carefully considered all of the terms of the proposed transactions and unanimously resolved to recommend that shareholders approve all necessary resolutions to implement these transactions. Municipal will shortly issue a management proxy circular which will describe all proposed transactions in more detail.

Pender Growth Fund, which currently owns 9,705,106 shares of Municipal representing approximately 52.2% of the total number of issued and outstanding shares of Municipal, has entered into an agreement with Harris pursuant to which it has agreed to vote its shares in favour of the transactions contemplated by the Acquisition Agreements. The terms of the agreement provide that it will automatically terminate if Municipal pays the break fee to Harris as part of a termination of the Acquisition Agreements. In addition, Pender Growth Fund has advised Municipal that it intends to choose "Option 2" described above and will continue to hold its common shares of Municipal after completion of the transactions described herein.

"We're very pleased to announce this transaction with Harris Computer," said David Roberts, Chairman of Municipal. "Harris is a large, respected vendor of software solutions to the local government sector so this is an excellent fit for our customers and staff who will benefit from Harris's substantial resources and their long-term commitment to growth. This deal also offers our shareholders the flexibility of either redeeming their shares at fair value or receiving a partial return of capital and continuing as shareholders as we focus the Company on Software-as-a-Service."

Completion of all of these transactions is subject to a number of conditions, including receipt of all necessary shareholder, stock exchange and regulatory approvals. Municipal expects that an annual and special meeting of shareholders will be held in mid-July, 2008 and, if all necessary approvals are received and conditions are satisfied, closing is expected to follow shortly thereafter.

A $15-million injection into a U.S. company's Victoria arm signals that the city's high-tech industry can still attract much-needed venture capital, says a leading expert in the local tech sector. It also emphasizes the fact that even amid a major credit crunch in the U.S., there is always money for new ideas and top talent.

The San Francisco-based social web browser Flock has secured $15 million in venture funding led by U.S. powerhouse Fidelity Ventures. Most of that money will go to Flock North, the company's research and development branch in Victoria, as it hires new engineers to continue innovative research and development, said Flock's vice-president of engineering Clayton Stark.

Flock's financial pick-me-up represents a major boon for the entire high-tech community, said Dale Gann, vice-president of the Vancouver Island Technology Park which houses many of the city's top companies.

"I think that for Victoria to raise $15 million in one deal, that's really significant in the space we're in." Strong venture capital funding like this can signal to other investors that Victoria can breed the cream-of-the-crop talent it takes to build a successful company, added Gann.

Half of Flock's 40 engineers and researchers work out of the Victoria office which opened last year. Flock ranked sixth on PC World's Top 100 Products of 2008, falling just behind major names like Facebook and Apple iPhone on the on global computer magazine's list.

Last year, venture capital from California firms alone hit $13.8 billion, compared with the $2.3 billion from Canadian firms and $230 million shelled out in B.C., emphasizing the fact that local companies are all vying for investments from rich investment banks south of the border.

Mark Heesen, president of the National Venture Capital Association — a Virginia-based trade association that represents the U.S. venture capital industry — said economic woes won't necessarily tighten the venture capital's purse strings because firms invest in a company with a vision five or ten years down the road. "The economy today is not as critical as what the economy is going to be several years down the pike."

Where the economic climate does play a role, said Heesen, is for a later-stage company that a firm continues to shepherd along. The market downturn might make it more difficult for that company to go public or be bought out by corporations that have had to adopt more conservative buying strategies.

GenoLogics CEO Michael Ball, whose company raised $5 million in funding in 2005 and another $5 million in 2006 financed by Seattle-based OVP Venture Partners, said the major challenges for Victoria companies in acquiring venture capital is that the investors are sometimes looking for a 10-fold return on their money.

In order for a company to deliver that, they have to grow to a large size and sell to a very large market, he said.

His company provides lab and scientific data management solutions in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology markets

In the case of Flock, the company says its user base has increased by more than 250 per cent and revenue has grown by more than 400 per cent since the beginning of the year.

Stark hopes the latest round of financing will be the company's last, that it will be enough to bring it to profitability.

But with $30 million in private equity to date, Stark said venture capital investment, especially from the U.S., has been essential to the company's growth.

"It's a lifeblood," he said. "We're fortunate that exactly what we're doing is significant right now."

Right now, venture capital firms are keeping a close eye on developments in green technology, an area that has become a market trend in Victoria, said Kelly Edmison, CEO of the Vancouver-based venture capital firm, Pender Growth Fund.

One example, he said, is Carmanah Technologies which went from $4 million a year in revenue to $60 million under their wing. Edmison said his firm is now considering investments in other Victoria companies that have been making advancements in green tech but he could not say which ones.

In April, the B.C. government launched a $90-million venture capital fund to give a boost to emerging companies in the tech and life sciences sector. Gann said the Renaissance Capital Fund is a boost for local firms trying to garner international attention and investment in their product.

"Victoria is realizing it can develop good ideas, wrap a good management team around it and attract really good talent to the area and secure venture capital for its idea," said Gann.

For a while Dale Gann’s name had been thrown around as a possible mayoral candidate for Victoria City Council. In an email sent to supporters and friends on May 26, he has finally put all the rumours aside – he will not be running. In it he writes that the “the timing is not right for me and my young family.” We wish Dale all the best in the coming years and hope that he continues his involvement in the community. Below is a full copy of the letter.

Dear Friend

Like you, I have a very deep and abiding interest in the City of Victoria- its traditions and its future. For those reasons, I spent many hours wrestling with the decision of whether to be a candidate for mayor, a decision you so kindly supported.

I am both honoured and flattered that so many people who share the same interests in Victoria not only encouraged me to run, but offered support in a number of ways.

In considering this challenge and the changes in my life that a bid for the mayoralty would represent, I examined the great commitment required
to provide the bold leadership Victoria needs. After much soul-searching, I came to the conclusion that while I had the sincere desire to serve the community, the timing is not right for me and my young family, and I will not be a candidate for mayor of Victoria.

The support of people such as yourself has given me new energy to continue my participation in the growth of the knowledge economy of this region as Vice-president of Vancouver Island Technology Park and you may be sure I will serve the communities well, but through other avenues.

Again thank you for your support and your understanding of my decision.

Dale 

GenoLogics, the leading developer of translational research informatics solutions, today announced the new release and general availability of Proteus 4.0, its lab and scientific data management system for proteomics.

“With the latest release, Proteus gains all the strength of a robust multi-science platform while maintaining its unique application features for proteomics research,” says Mike Sanders, Product Manager for Proteus. “As part of our Omix platform, Proteus’ new adaptive reporting framework allows customers to integrate data from different sources and enhance their scientific data analysis. While the new integrations and generic importer formats for search engines helps customers streamline protein identification and relative protein expression analysis, Proteus has many more enhancements in this latest release including improvements to our LC-MALDI workflows to analyze larger volumes of data.”

Proteus improves lab efficiency by automating data capture from proteomic experiments and by seamlessly tracking projects, samples and results. It does this with purposed instrument and analytical software integrations and enhancing analysis of contextually relevant protein and peptide comparisons. It also has a web interface for customer and external collaborators to submit samples and for the laboratory to publish results.

“One of the enhancements we are looking forward to using with Proteus 4.0 is the integration to ProteinPilot,” says Dr. Bruce Stanley, Scientific Director of the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center’s Proteomics and Mass Spectrometry Core. “The updated LabLink web interface will allow us to better share quantitative proteomic results with our researchers as we focus on collaborations in translational research.”

Dr. Kevin Schey, Mass Spectrometry Facility Director from the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) NHLBI Proteomics Center is also excited about Proteus 4.0. “The integrated system will help manage the results of quantitative analysis for the LC-MALDI workflows. Such proteomic applications form an important part of our NHLBI Center activities. We are pleased with GenoLogics ongoing commitment to improve Proteus and maintain the product’s value with leading-edge proteomics labs.”

Proteus can be easily configured for new technologies and workflows, including user-level configurations without programming skills. For the more sophisticated user, it is easy to integrate with in-house systems with a simple framework to send and receive data from any external program. And with an open read-access to the database, plus the reporting tools in the Adaptive Reporting Framework, Proteus is a powerful informatics solution to meet evolving needs.

“Proteus is part of our solutions for discovery labs along with our companion lab and data management system for genomics research, Geneus,” says GenoLogics VP of Product Management, Sal Sanci.  “Both Proteus and Geneus are on a highly configurable common platform, allowing our clients to efficiently conduct systems biology research or to implement larger enterprise solutions connecting multiple labs to one common system."