美國Advanced Targeting Systems (ATS)   www.atsbio.com
Advanced Targeting Systems(ATS)是位于加州圣地亞哥的一家生物技術(shù)公司，主要生產(chǎn)用于科研和藥物開發(fā)的靶試劑（targeting reagents）。ATS關(guān)于疼痛和藥物轉(zhuǎn)運(yùn)的研究及臨床治療的兩個(gè)產(chǎn)品已獲專利保護(hù)。ATS公司主要進(jìn)行神經(jīng)系統(tǒng)研究產(chǎn)品的開發(fā)和銷售。目前公司可提供用于神經(jīng)系統(tǒng)功能機(jī)制及相關(guān)疾病研究的靶毒素，抗體。
ATS公司產(chǎn)品的基礎(chǔ)技術(shù)并不局限于神經(jīng)領(lǐng)域，同樣可應(yīng)用于當(dāng)今的醫(yī)藥研究。ATS正在與全世界的著名科學(xué)家加強(qiáng)戰(zhàn)略合作，不斷開發(fā)和擴(kuò)大產(chǎn)品線。
歷史：
ATS公司于1994年8月成立，發(fā)起人Douglas Lappi，Ph.D和Ronald Wiley，M.D.，Ph.D.在實(shí)驗(yàn)室開發(fā)出先進(jìn)的分子神經(jīng)外科學(xué)的研究技術(shù)。
分子神經(jīng)外科學(xué)對目前世界神經(jīng)學(xué)最廣泛使用技術(shù)做了改進(jìn)：借助特異性細(xì)胞毒素，通過外科學(xué)手段和效果觀察，從而損傷某一區(qū)域。這一尖端技術(shù)使所有神經(jīng)學(xué)家獲得方便，公司首批產(chǎn)品192-Saporin也進(jìn)入了世界上最好的神經(jīng)學(xué)實(shí)驗(yàn)室。
現(xiàn)狀：
ATS倡導(dǎo)使用靶毒素，提供特異損傷性試劑，“二抗免疫毒素”，以神經(jīng)內(nèi)分泌抗體。1997年，公司開發(fā)出SP-SAP，這一試劑能作用于特定的疼覺傳導(dǎo)神經(jīng)元，從而阻斷慢性疼痛，對正常的疼覺敏感并不受影響。這一試劑在神經(jīng)學(xué)界引起了轟動效應(yīng)，同其第二代試劑一起獲得專利保護(hù)，并用于慢性疼痛的治療。
前景：
ATS的靶技術(shù)有廣闊的應(yīng)用前景，作用于神經(jīng)元表面抗原的單抗處于開發(fā)的初期，隨著時(shí)間的推移，公司會推出更好的靶試劑，將為分子神經(jīng)外科學(xué)，心血管生理學(xué)和藥理學(xué)等學(xué)科提供殺滅細(xì)胞的先進(jìn)工具。
目前產(chǎn)品包括：
·靶毒素，二抗生物素
·抗體：神經(jīng)元抗體，神經(jīng)遞質(zhì)抗體，其他抗體
·蛋白質(zhì)和熒光偶聯(lián)物
·免疫毒素對照
靶技術(shù)概述
·根據(jù)細(xì)胞類型選擇特異抗體，可用生長因子，多肽，配體或細(xì)胞因子。
·Saporin是潛在的細(xì)胞毒素，作為細(xì)胞的致死因子可安全用于實(shí)驗(yàn)室。
·ATS將它們整合成強(qiáng)效的靶試劑。
·靶試劑注入細(xì)胞(in vivo or in vitro)。
·Saporin偶聯(lián)物與細(xì)胞表面靶受體結(jié)合。
·無靶受體的細(xì)胞不受影響。
·Saporin偶聯(lián)物進(jìn)入細(xì)內(nèi)并與抗體脫離。
·Saporin使核糖體失活，目標(biāo)細(xì)胞死亡
192-Saporin概述：
192-Saporin作為免疫毒素，在靜脈注射后幾乎可使LNGFR (p75NTR)陽性細(xì)胞全部消失，因而成為研究者強(qiáng)大的損傷工具，比化學(xué)試劑、操作或電解損傷更特異、更有效。殺滅特定類型細(xì)胞
192-Saporin直接對只在前腦膽堿能神經(jīng)原高水平表達(dá)的細(xì)胞表面抗原作用，p75NTR在鄰近的非膽堿能神經(jīng)并不表達(dá)。192-Saporin特異作用于：
·前腦膽堿能神經(jīng)原
·Medial septum
·Diagonal band of Broca
·Nucleus basalis of Meynert
·小腦的浦肯野細(xì)胞
功能研究的有效工具
192-Saporin可永久而選擇性地清除前腦膽堿能神經(jīng)原，因此可產(chǎn)生下列用途的重要動物模型：
·行為 (前腦膽堿能神經(jīng)原)
·神經(jīng)退化（Alzheimer's 病等）
·系統(tǒng)缺失的可塑性
·替代治療
·藥效和藥物依賴性研究

Advanced Targeting Systems (ATS) is a San Diego-based biotechnology company dedicated to providing quality targeting reagents for scientific research and pharmaceutical development. ATS has applied for patent protection on two of its products for research and therapeutic applications in pain and drug delivery.
For the past ten years, ATS has primarily focused on the development and sale of products for the Neuroscience research community. The Company's current product line includes targeted toxins, antibodies and custom services designed to assist neuroscientists in the study of nervous system function, brain-related diseases and disorders.
The technology that provides the foundation for the Company's products has a broad spectrum of applications, not only in the field of Neuroscience, but in virtually every medical and pharmaceutical research field in practice today. ATS is continuing to develop and expand the existing product line through strategic scientific collaborations with top scientists throughout the world.
History
Advanced Targeting Systems was founded in April of 1994 to concentrate production efforts that had been developed and refined by Douglas Lappi, Ph.D. (President and Chief Scientific Officer) and Ronald Wiley, M.D., Ph.D. (Scientific Advisor) in their academic laboratories. Together, they developed a powerful neuroscience technique which the Company has termed Molecular Neurosurgery.
Molecular Neurosurgery is a modification of one of the most widely used techniques in the Neurosciences: lesioning of a region by surgical means and observation of the effect. All neuroscientists recognize and are comfortable with this concept, and Lappi and Wiley were able to present a new method of molecular lesioning by means of a specific cytotoxin. Because of this, 192-IgG-SAP, one of Advanced Targeting Systems' first products for market, is in use in the finest Neuroscience laboratories worldwide.
Product Focus
Advanced Targeting Systems pioneered the use of targeted toxins. These products include specific lesioning agents for cholinergic basal forebrain neurons, noradrenergic and adrenergic neurons, macrophages and microglia and a pan-neuronal agent that strikes an epitope expressed on all neurons. In addition, ATS produces and sells "second immunotoxins" (or "secondary conjugates") which allow users to convert their own targeting agents into specific cytotoxic tools. The Company also sells neuronal and neuroendocrine antibodies.
Pharmaceutical Applications
In 1997, the Company created SP-SAP. This reagent eliminates specific pain transmission neurons that propagate the signal for chronic pain, but it has no effect on normal pain sensitivity, which continues to function normally. The ability to separate chronic pain transmission from normal pain transmission, and the ablation of the former, created great excitement in the scientific community. Advanced Targeting Systems has been granted patent protection for this molecule, the second generation reagents, and has patents pending for the uses of these molecules for treatment of chronic pain. A wide variety of other molecules for the study and treatment of pain are in development.
The Future
Advanced Targeting Systems' targeting techniques result in a broad and enabling technology. The characterization of monoclonal antibodies to cell surface antigens of neurons is in the early stages of development. This is one of the base materials for the technology of Advanced Targeting Systems and, as time goes on, new, improved reagents will be introduced that can be used as targeting agents. The introduction of the first line of reagents provided a structure for the commercialization of an entire line of innovative, new tools for Molecular Neurosurgery, vascular biology, pharmaceutical development and many other applications that would be enhanced by the elimination of cells.