VALIGEN ACQUIRES BERLIN-BASED INFOGEN AND PHENOTYPE DATABASE.ValiGen N.V., Newtown, Pa. has acquired Berlin-based INFOGEN Medizinische Genetik GmbH. INFOGEN provides genetic risk assessment and disease management solutions using one of the largest databases of phenotypic phe·no·type n. 1. a. The observable physical or biochemical characteristics of an organism, as determined by both genetic makeup and environmental influences. b. profiles and genetic variants, developed to date primarily in the field of cardiovascular disease Cardiovascular disease Disease that affects the heart and blood vessels. Mentioned in: Lipoproteins Test cardiovascular disease . Under the terms of the agreement, ValiGen N.V. has acquired all the outstanding common stock of INFOGEN through a share exchange. "This acquisition represents a bold and strategically decisive step for ValiGen. Functional Genomics Noun 1. functional genomics - the branch of genomics that determines the biological function of the genes and their products genomics - the branch of genetics that studies organisms in terms of their genomes (their full DNA sequences) will not deliver on its promise to revolutionize rev·o·lu·tion·ize tr.v. rev·o·lu·tion·ized, rev·o·lu·tion·iz·ing, rev·o·lu·tion·iz·es 1. To bring about a radical change in: Television has revolutionized news coverage. 2. pharmaceutical R & D if it is pursued as a complete solution to the identification of novel targets, without reference back to the real world of patients," commented Stephen Evans - Freke, ValiGen's Chairman. "Research findings that appear to correlate over- or under-expression of particular genes or the incidence of SNP's with a disease phenotype phenotype (fē`nətīp'): see genetics. phenotype All the observable characteristics of an organism, such as shape, size, colour, and behaviour, that result from the interaction of its genotype (total genetic makeup) with can only be taken seriously if they can be confirmed in large populations of genetically diverse patients." "We are extremely pleased to have joined forces with ValiGen," stated Dr. Herbert Schuster, Founder and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of INFOGEN, who is now joining the senior management team of ValiGen. "We anticipate that our expertise and database systems can be applied equally well to a variety of complex diseases. ValiGen's genotyping Genotyping refers to the process of determining the genotype of an individual with a biological assay. Current methods of doing this include PCR, DNA sequencing, and hybridization to DNA microarrays or beads. and functional genomics platform is an ideal match for INFOGEN's phenotyping resources." "A few months ago we merged the functional genomics company ValiGene SA with the gene repair company Kimeragen, Inc., to create the new ValiGen NV," commented Douglas Watson, ValiGen's president and formerly CEO of Novartis USA. "Apart from the former Kimeragen's promising human therapy and agri-biotech programs, the merger combined the chimeraplast-based in vivo in vivo /in vi·vo/ (ve´vo) [L.] within the living body. in vi·vo adj. Within a living organism. in vivo adv. target validation system with ValiGene's technologies for genetic analysis of phenotypes, high-throughput genotyping and pathway mapping. With the acquisition of INFOGEN, we believe we now have put together a truly unique platform of capabilities with which to address the challenges of post-genomics R & D in the pharmaceutical and ag-bio industries." INFOGEN is a 1996 spin-off of the Max-Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC (1) (Mobile Daughter Card) See riser card. (2) See Meta Data Coalition. ), Berlin-Buch, that focuses on genetic epidemiology. INFOGEN provides to the patient for a subscription fee a personal genetic risk profile for a given medical condition and, if the patient so wishes, to his or her personal physician. The patient pays an initial subscription fee, signs a general release form and submits a comprehensive personal data file including medical history, family and heredity heredity, transmission from generation to generation through the process of reproduction in plants and animals of factors which cause the offspring to resemble their parents. That like begets like has been a maxim since ancient times. information, lifestyle habits and economic, geographical and other contextual factors. In many cases, they also provide blood and/or tissues samples. The patient's genetic risk profile is based on the company's extensive patient databases stratifying the patient's disease and their risk of future medical events, as well as an assessment of the impact on their risk profile of different treatment and behavioral modification options. INFOGEN currently has over 80,000 individuals in its databases, and is constantly adding to these through its national recruitment program, serviced through recruitment centers at major hospitals all over the country. INFOGEN works with a network of over 8,000 physicians in Germany who recruit their patients to the INFOGEN programs. In the INFOGEN business model, all patient-specific information remains the property of the subscribing patient and is kept in the strictest confidence. The composite databases, however, belong exclusively to INFOGEN and can be commercialized freely for pharmaceutical R & D and market research purposes. ValiGen N.V. is a European-American genomics and life science company focused on improving healthcare and agriculture by developing and providing in vivo validated targets, proprietary information and novel products. ValiGen partners with pharmaceutical and agricultural companies to derive commercial value from its genomics technologies, which provide a continuum of capability from raw profiling of phenotypes to in vivo target validation using its proprietary chimeraplasty DNA repair DNA repair refers to a collection of processes by which a cell identifies and corrects damage to the DNA molecules that encode its genome. In human cells, both normal metabolic activities and environmental factors such as UV light can cause DNA damage, resulting in as many as 1 technology. ValiGen recently closed on a $27 million private placement led by International Biotechnology Trust PLC and ImClone Systems ImClone Systems Incorporated (NASDAQ: IMCL) is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing biologic medicines in the area of oncology. It was founded in 1984 and is headquartered in New York City. It is traded on the NASDAQ stock exchange under the symbol IMCL. Inc. For further information, visit: http://www.valigen.net or call or call 215-504-4444. |
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