May 28, 2009 | Compugen Reports Promising In Vivo Results
Compugen reported positive in-vivo results for CGEN-856 and CGEN-857, two novel peptide agonists of the MAS G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) which the company discovered using its in silico platform. Recently studies demonstrated the cardioprotective and anti-hypertensive effects of these two product candidates, says Compugen.
Compugen VP for R&D Dr. Anat Cohen Dayag said, “All of our product candidates, including CGEN-856 and 857, begin purely as computer generated theoretical predictions. Thus we are extremely pleased by the rapidly growing amount of experimental validation supporting the validity of our in silico predictions, both in terms of breadth of applications and depth of confirmation.” Read release.
Genetic Anti-Discrimination Law Takes Affect
A long-awaited federal law that shields people from genetic discrimination delivered its first layer of protection last Thursday. The measure will prevent health insurers from denying coverage, adjusting premiums or otherwise discriminating based on genetic information, a term that includes family history. The law does not apply to life insurers, according to a Forbes/AP report. Read article.
Switzerland Grants $25M for Systems Biology Studies
The Swiss National Science Foundation has granted CHF27.5 million ($25 million) to fund several biomedical research and genomics and technology development grants focused on systems biology. The SNSF SystemsX.ch program has approved six projects that will fund research coordinated by the Swiss Institute for Bioinformatics; the Universities of Basel, Lausanne, Geneva, and Zurich; the Friedrich-Miescher Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation; and the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology. Funding is part of a CHF100 million systems biology program funded by the Swiss government that runs between 2008 and 2011. Read GenomeWeb report.
Asubio Pharma to Use Genedata Biomarker Discovery Platform
Asubio Pharma, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Daiichi Sankyo, is using the Genedata Expressionist system to support its compound profiling and biomarker discovery process. "We were looking for a bioinformatics solution to manage a huge volume of DNA array data generated internally at Asubio as well as to integrate additional external molecular profiling data,” said Michinori Kadokura, associate senior researcher at Asubio Pharma. Read release.
NIH Grants $2M for Development of e-Microscope to Film Biological Processes
The plan is to extend the capabilities of a powerful new imaging tool called the dynamic transmission electron microscope or DTEM. These instruments can snap 10 to 100 images per millionth of a second, while capturing details as small as 10 nanometers, or about four times the diameter of a DNA molecule. Read article.
Ingenuity Systems Releases IPA 7.5
The latest version of the software enables researchers to quickly integrate and understand multiple lines of experimental evidence from either publicly available or proprietary data sources. "These enhancements really position IPA as a powerful tool for disease research," stated Brigitte Ganter, director of product management, Ingenuity Systems. Additional new tools in IPA 7.5 enable researchers to bring a wide range of data together for better biological understanding: updated mapping and comparison tools for rapid data assessment; additional Path Designer tools for customization of pathway graphics; SBML pathway import (beta) for the creation of custom pathway libraries; new disease-focused content including 46 new signaling pathways. Read Release.
Genego and Omicsoft Announce Integration
GeneGo, a leading provider of pathway data mining & analysis solutions, and OmicSoft Corporation, provider of visualization and analysis software for high dimensional data, announced the integration of the MetaCore pathway analysis platform with Array Studio. “Array Studio is a powerful analysis platform and we have mutual customers that this integration will benefit,” said Julie Bryant, VP of Business Development at GeneGo. Read release.
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