MilliporeSigma Launches First Commercially Available Equine-Specific Multiplex Assay for Protein Biomarkers

• Detects biomarkers of horse infection, inflammation, immune response and general health
• Addresses unmet needs of equine research centers, veterinary research and animal research nutrition companies

Billerica, Massachusetts, May 9, 2016 — MilliporeSigma today announced the launch of the first commercially-available equine-specific multiplex assay for protein biomarkers. The assay is intended for research use only, not for use in diagnostic procedures.

The MILLIPLEX® MAP Equine Cytokine/Chemokine Panel enables researchers to simultaneously measure up to 27 cytokines in equine serum, plasma and tissue/cell culture supernatants. The panel delivers important information intended for research on biomarkers of horse infection, inflammation, immune response and general health.

“Multiplex cytokine assays allow us to ask and answer more complex questions more efficiently and help predict responses to treatment in horses,” said Brian Gilger, principal investigator, Laboratory of Ocular Immunology, Toxicology and Drug Delivery, North Carolina State University. ”With this panel, we can better understand how the inflammation in the equine eye differs between infectious and immune-mediated uveitis.”

MilliporeSigma’s new equine-specific cytokine panel also addresses the unmet needs of equine research centers, veterinary medicine and animal nutrition companies.

Like all MILLIPLEX® MAP panels, MilliporeSigma’s new assay kit provides complete flexibility, meaning that researchers can choose analytes from a panel and get the same performance as they would for the whole panel. The kit includes a standardized serum matrix, enabling more accurate quantitation of cytokines in biological samples.

About the Life Science Business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
The life science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, which operates as MilliporeSigma in the U.S. and Canada, has 19,000 employees and 72 manufacturing sites worldwide, with a portfolio of more than 300,000 products enabling scientific discovery.

Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany completed its $17 billion acquisition of Sigma-Aldrich in November 2015, creating a leader in the $130 billion global life science industry.

Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany is a leading company for innovative and top-quality high-tech products in healthcare, life science and performance materials. The company has six businesses – Biopharmaceuticals, Consumer Health, Allergopharma, Biosimilars, Life Science and Performance Materials – and generated sales of €12.85 billion in 2015. Around 50,000 employees work in 66 countries to improve the quality of life for patients, to foster the success of customers and to help meet global challenges.

Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany is the world’s oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company – since 1668, the company has stood for innovation, business success and responsible entrepreneurship. Holding an approximately 70 percent interest, the founding family remains the majority owner of the company to this day. Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany operates as EMD Serono, MilliporeSigma and EMD Performance Materials in the U.S. and Canada.