Cell Signaling Research

Remarkable achievements in biosciences during the past decade have increased our understanding of the disease process and opened new ways of therapeutic intervention. Identification of the human genome and new developments in nanotechnology and stem cell technologies have offered new solutions to improve the quality of life. Mechanisms involved in intercellular and intracellular communication have largely formed the basis of modern medical research, which is a confluence of both basic and applied research to help in the development of new drugs and improve their safety and efficacy.

Rapid advances in basic and clinical sciences and the vast number of publications in these areas may create a delusion that we understand everything about cells and their interactions, but the reality is that we know only a fraction of what we want to know. In spite of the remarkable progress in diagnosis and treatment of cancer, diabetes, and hypertension, the incidence of these diseases have increased significantly in the industrialized world.

Merck, KGaA/EMD (with its Calbiochem® and Novagen® brands), a global leader in developing bioscience research products, has made significant contributions to facilitate the progress of signal transduction research. Their Inhibitor SourceBook, Antibody SourceBook, and the recently published book, Signal Transduction: A Short Overview of Its Role in Health and Disease, are unique sources of information for scientists working on various aspects of cell signaling. Based on the number of publications reporting the use of inhibitors from the Calbiochem® brand of Merck/EMD they are regarded as one of the top suppliers of cell signaling research products. Although activation of enzymes has been exploited therapeutically, most drugs are based on enzyme inhibition that normalizes an overactive pathway. Years of research has shown that inhibitors are useful for mechanistic studies aimed at understanding how enzymes interact with their substrates, the role of inhibitors in enzyme regulation, and the structure–activity relationship of enzymes that forms the basis for developing drugs to inhibit aberrant biochemical reactions.

Novabiochem®, another important brand of Merck, KGaA/EMD, has set the standard for quality and innovative reagents for peptide synthesis, high-throughput organic chemistry, labeled peptides, and custom manufactured products. Their catalog offers over 960 products with detailed protocols, applications, and practical advice. Hence, it is considered an essential resource for many researchers involved in peptide synthesis and combinatorial chemistry.

The future of biosciences holds great promise. The convergence of genomics, proteomics, and kinomics and the promise of regenerative medicine and stem cell research offer significant opportunities and challenges. Merck/EMD products are utilized by researches all over the world to conduct research and develop new drugs to treat cancer, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular complications, and other debilitating diseases. Their contributions to the bioscience communities continues with the introduction of state of the art technologies, such as their new WideScreen™ assays for multi-analyte analysis, and inhibitor libraries and inhibitor panels for various protein kinases.

Merck KGaA of Darmstadt, Germany wishes to clarify that it has no connection with Merck & Co. of Whitehouse Station, New Jersey. The historic roots of both companies are the same and began 340 years ago in Germany. Although the two companies still share the same name, they are no longer associated with each other. Merck KGaA owns worldwide rights to the name except in the USA and Canada, where it uses EMD. Merck & Co. uses the name in North America and MSD in the rest of the world.

Merck Thailand is a joint venture between Merck KGaA (Germany) and B. Grimm (Thailand).
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