MAP OF WW PROTEIN DOMAIN HELPS TARGET HEALTH PROBLEMS.The new ProChart Database of protein interactions in the human body has been introduced in Europe by AxCell Biosciences Corporation, a subsidiary of Cytogen Corporation (Nasdaq: CYTO CYTO Croydon Youth Theatre Organisation (UK) ), and InforMax, Inc (Nasdaq: INMX). The database includes the results of AxCell's successful effort to map all of the interactions of one of the body's 60- 80 protein domain families. In January, 2001, AxCell announced the completion of the map of the WW Protein Domain, which is believed to have an impact on health problems including hypertension, muscular dystrophy muscular dystrophy (dĭs`trōfē), any of several inherited diseases characterized by progressive wasting of the skeletal muscles. There are five main forms of the disease. and immunodeficiency. AxCell is working to complete the map of all signal transduction Signal transduction The transmission of molecular signals from a cell's exterior to its interior. Molecular signals are transmitted between cells by the secretion of hormones and other chemical factors, which are then picked up by different cells. protein interactions in the human body within four years. In March, AxCell introduced ProChart in six cities across the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. using InforMax's Protein-Protein Interaction Protein-protein interactions refer to the association of protein molecules and the study of these associations from the perspective of biochemistry, signal transduction and networks. The interactions between proteins are important for many biological functions. Analysis (PPI (1) (Pixels Per Inch) The measurement of the resolution of a monitor or scanner. For example, a monitor that is 16 inches wide and displays 1600 pixels across its width would have a resolution of 100 ppi (1600 divided by 16). ) module, which will be available in the next release of the GenoMax(TM) enterprise bioinformatics platform, the proprietary advanced bioinformatics software from InforMax. ProChart is a database of protein-to-protein interactions, created using AxCell's patented, high-throughput technology, which differs from the most widely used method for studying protein interactions called yeast two-hybrid (Y2H). InforMax is currently marketing the ProChart Database to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries through multi-year subscriptions. Marketing activities for ProChart in Europe began with presentations at IBC's Drug Discovery Technology 2001, the multidisciplinary biopharmaceutical conference held April 23-26 in Stuttgart, Germany. AxCell has also again participated in a seminar series with its marketing partner, InforMax. Scientists at AxCell identified more than 69,000 different protein interactions of the WW domain, the name for one of the human body's specific family of proteins and the initial family offered to ProChart database subscribers. In the future, AxCell anticipates adding PDZ PDZ Perfect Dark Zero (video game) PDZ Psd-95, Dlg and ZO1 (proteins) and SH3, two domain families involved with diseases such as stroke, Alzheimer's, diabetes, cancer, HIV HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), either of two closely related retroviruses that invade T-helper lymphocytes and are responsible for AIDS. There are two types of HIV: HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-1 is responsible for the vast majority of AIDS in the United States. and osteoporosis. The company will also chart increasingly greater portions of the proteome pro·te·ome n. The complete set of proteins that are produced by the genes of an organism. proteome the entire complement of proteins produced by a cell. and add these results to ProChart. Subscription rates will be based on the amount and quality of data available. "We have been quite pleased with the interest in ProChart in the U.S.," said Brian R. Bullard, vice president and chief information officer of AxCell Biosciences. "Our technology can positively impact numerous steps in research and development, such as target identification and validation, which we believe will offer high value to ProChart customers." In addition to the high-profile Drug Discovery Technology 2001 conference, AxCell will be presenting at a number of events, such as Cambridge Healthtech's HTT HTT Hyper-Threading Technology (Intel) HTT Human Touch Technology HTT Hypertext Template (Microsoft Windows file extension) HTT Holier Than Thou HTT Hyper Transport Technology HTT Human Terrain Team Expo in Philadelphia this month and Beyond Genome 2001 Conference in San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden , also in June. InforMax is continuing with the U.S. marketing activities for ProChart in the United States, with initial sales contacts and follow-up scheduled for the remainder of 2001. About Cytogen Cytogen Corporation is a biopharmaceutical company based in Princeton, NJ. The company has two principal lines of business: a product-based oncology focus and a proteomics drug discovery platform. Cytogen's expertise in monoclonal antibodies This is a list of monoclonal antibodies, antibodies which are clones of a single parent cell. When used as medications, the generic names end in -mab (see "Nomenclature of monoclonal antibodies"). and molecular recognition are directed principally to the development of novel products for the diagnosis, imaging, staging and treatment of prostate cancer prostate cancer, cancer originating in the prostate gland. Prostate cancer is the leading malignancy in men in the United States and is second only to lung cancer as a cause of cancer death in men. and a proteomics-driven drug discovery platform. For information regarding currently marketed oncology products and general corporate information, visit http://www.cytogen.com. About AxCell Biosciences AxCell Biosciences, a subsidiary of Cytogen Corporation, is a leader in the effort to chart protein-signaling pathways in the human proteome as a means of discovering new drug targets. AxCell is developing a proprietary protein-pathway database, the ProChart(TM) database as a discovery and development tool for subscribers in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and agricultural industries. For additional information on AxCell Biosciences, visit http://www.axcellbio.com. About InforMax InforMax is a leading global developer of bioinformatics software for High-Throughput Research(TM). InforMax products are used by more than 1650 research organizations and more than 22,000 individual scientists worldwide (as of December 31, 2000) to understand and extract value from the massive amounts of data being generated by the Genomic Revolution. Among the company's customers are 22 of the top 25 pharmaceutical companies. InforMax was founded in 1990 by Alex Titomirov, Ph.D. Its mission is to speed the pace of medical progress by enabling High-Throughput Research(TM), a process for compressing the time it takes to discover and validate the biological targets most likely to result in breakthrough therapeutics, diagnostics or biomolecular interventions to cure or prevent disease. InforMax bioinformatics software solutions enable a full range of gene-to-genome analysis, interpretation and data mining. Its market-leading products include Vector NTI NTI NewTech Infosystems (software company, Irvine, California) NTI Nuclear Threat Initiative NTI National Transit Institute (New Brunswick, New Jersey) NTI Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated (R) Suite, the most widely used software suite for enhancing laboratory productivity, and GenoMax(TM) for integrated analysis of genomic and proteomic data. Additional information about InforMax can be found at the company's Web site at http://www.informaxinc.com. For more information, call 212-279-2060. |
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