Spring Bioscience launches highly sensitive PD-L1 (SP142) antibody, a component of Roche's immunotherapy assay

-- Robust antibody gives researchers early access to PD-L1 and immunotherapy tissue staining for Research Use Only (RUO) applications

PLEASANTON, California, Aug. 25, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Spring Bioscience (Spring), a member of the Roche Group, today announced the launch of its PD-L1 (SP142) rabbit monoclonal immunohistochemistry (IHC) antibody¹. This new PD-L1 clone was developed for Roche/Genentech's anti-PD-L1 (MPDL3280A) immunotherapy development program. The SP142 antibody is a component of the clinical trial assay designed by Ventana Medical Systems, Inc. (Ventana), and used in early and late stage clinical trials for various tumor types including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and urothelial bladder cancer (UBC).

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As pharmaceutical companies continue to research and develop cancer drugs that target the immune system, measuring the amount of PD-L1 protein expressed on tumor cells and tumor-infiltrating immune cells may help assess the efficacy and durability of investigational drugs that inhibit the binding of the PD-L1 protein.

Internal comparison studies performed at Spring demonstrated that the PD-L1 (SP142) antibody outperformed other commercially available PD-L1 antibodies. "As with all IHC antibodies developed by Spring, the SP142 antibody will deliver the high quality and accuracy that clinical researchers need to confidently assess PD-L1 status in tissue samples," said Michael Rivers, GM, Spring Biosience. 

"The development of the PD-L1 (SP142) antibody, with its high degree of sensitivity and specificity, may make this a key component of a future companion diagnostic IHC test for Roche's investigational anti-PD-L1 therapy. As researchers strive to understand the clinical relevance of PD-L1 expression, this clone may offer a superior ability to stain and analyze both tumor and immune cells," said Doug Ward, VP and Lifecycle Leader, Ventana Compaion Diagnostics. "Ventana and Spring are committed to delivering gold standard biomarker detection solutions for companion diagnostic tests."

Spring Bioscience is known across the research industry for its quality development practices and for delivering a consistent supply of highly-specific antibodies. SP142 meets the company's high standards as a valuable tool for assessing PD-L1 expression in many different tumor types.

Recommended staining protocols are available for manual, semi-automated and VENTANA Discovery platforms for decreased assay development times.

To order or request additional information on SP142, please visit springbio.com or call (800) 787-6896 or (925) 474-8440. Orders can also be submitted via e-mail at spring.orders@ventana.roche.com with technical detail available through spring.tech@ventana.roche.com.

¹PD-L1 (SP142) Rabbit Monoclonal Antibody is for Research Use Only (RUO). Not for use in diagnostic procedures.

About Spring Bioscience
Spring Bioscience, Inc. (Spring) is a leading developer of rabbit monoclonal antibodies, engineered for immunohistochemistry (IHC) and other applications in tissue-based cancer research. Founded by scientists with a primary focus on IHC, Spring has developed a proprietary menu of highly-sensitive antibodies (SP clones) that yield superior specificity and consistency in research and clinical practice. Spring is committed to high-quality development standards and also offers a portfolio of advanced detection and other complementary products for reliable, reproducible assessments of protein expression. Spring Bioscience was acquired by Ventana Medical Systems, Inc., a member of the Roche Group, in 2007. As an antibody center of excellence for Roche with strong pharmaceutical partnerships across the industry, Spring is at the frontier of antibody development for companion diagnostics, IVD and early clinical markers. Learn more at Springbio.com.

About Ventana Medical Systems, Inc.
Ventana Medical Systems, Inc. ("VMSI") (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY), a member of the Roche Group, innovates and manufactures instruments and reagents that automate tissue processing and slide staining for cancer diagnostics. VENTANA products are used in clinical histology and drug development research laboratories worldwide. The company's intuitive, integrated staining, workflow management platforms, and digital pathology solutions optimize laboratory efficiencies to help reduce errors, support diagnosis and enable informed treatment decisions by anatomic pathology professionals. Together with Roche, VMSI is driving Personalized Healthcare through accelerated drug discovery and the development of "companion diagnostics" to identify the patients most likely to respond favorably to specific therapies.

VENTANA, the VENTANA logo, and DISCOVERY are trademarks of Roche.

VMSI Media Relations
Jacqueline Bucher
Senior Director, Corporate Communications
Ventana Medical Systems, Inc.
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e-mail: Jacquie Bucher