BILLERICA, Mass., Oct. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Seahorse Bioscience, the world leader in manufacturing instrumentation and assay kits for measuring cell metabolism, announces travel award recipients, who will be presenting data generated with the Seahorse XF Analyzer at the Neuroscience 2012 Conference, in New Orleans, Oct 13-17.

Seahorse XF Extracellular Flux Analyzers and stress test kits are the industry Gold Standard for simultaneously measuring the two major energy pathways of the cell - mitochondrial respiration and glycolysis - in a microplate, in real-time.

"Our lab is using the Seahorse XF to help explore the specific mitochondrial electron transport chain deficiencies observed in a novel human Parkinson's Disease cell model. The opportunity to study mitochondrial bioenergetics in adherent cells is unique to the Seahorse XF technology," stated Dr. Patricia A. Trimmer, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Virginia Commonwealth University. "With our cell model, we hope to use the Seahorse to develop therapies that can specifically improve mitochondrial function in Parkinson's Disease."

Seahorse supports the exploration of cell metabolism through travel awards that are offered to graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, and young investigators who present a talk or poster citing data generated on the XF platform at scientific meetings and conferences. Through this program, Seahorse seeks to increase the body of knowledge that is enabling new discoveries about the role of cell metabolism in pathophysiology.

"XF technology provides us with a means to investigate the functional significance of mitochondrial dysfunction in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)," stated Shannon Rose Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow in Autism Research, at the Arkansas Children's Hospital Research Institute, in Little Rock, AR. "While poorly understood, mitochondrial dysfunction is one of the most common metabolic abnormalities affecting children with ASD. We believe mitochondrial dysfunction in children with ASD, and our findings, indicate that it may be associated with the cognitive and behavioral characteristics of the disorders. In addition, our studies on the XF have provided us with in vitro support for a clinical trial of N-acetyl-cysteine in children with ASD."

"These young researchers are to be congratulated. They are leading the way in neuroscience research, and by embracing XF technology are reaching new levels of discovery into cell metabolism and disease," stated Cynthia Egan, Director of Marketing at Seahorse Bioscience.

The XF Analyzer and stress test kits standardize the measurement of mitochondrial dysfunction detecting subtle changes in neuronal cell metabolism, before the development of observable neurodegeneration. This knowledge is enabling scientists to better understand the connection of physiological traits of cells with genomic and proteomic data, leading to a greater understanding, and new treatments of neurological disease.

About Seahorse Bioscience

Seahorse Bioscience XF Analyzers and stress test kits are the industry standard in cell metabolism measurements. Over 2,500 scientists worldwide are advancing their research in understanding the role of bioenergetics in Neurodegeneration, Aging, Cancer, Cardiovascular, Cell Physiology, Toxicology & Hepatobiology, Immunology, Infectious Diseases, Mitochondrial Diseases, Model Organisms, Obesity, Diabetes, Metabolic Disorders, Screening, and Translational Medicine. Founded in 2001, Seahorse Bioscience is headquartered in Billerica, Massachusetts, U.S., and has regional offices in Copenhagen, Denmark; and Shanghai, China. Learn more about Seahorse Bioscience at http://www.seahorsebio.com.

About the Arkansas Children's Hospital Research Institute

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Seahorse Bioscience Announces Neuroscience 2012 Travel Award Winners