Genomatix is a company with a renowned track record in the analysis of genomic data generated by high throughput technologies. Genomatix algorithms include optimized fast mapping strategies and Genomatix already provides the most complete genome annotation in terms of transcriptome and promoters available in its ElDorado database surpassing alternative databases in this specific content by a factor of 2 to 4.
Pilot studies in collaboration with customers, successfully analyzing Next Generation Sequencing data (from 454 and Solexa) have firmly established that ElDorado brings a dramatic advantage to NGS data processing and interpretation, providing additional information about the transcriptome and its regulation. Result data can be visualized by ElDorado in the full genomic annotation context and a variety of correlation studies and further downstream analyses are possible using other established Genomatix services.
Genomatix has announce that services for NGS studies are available within our consulting model, effective immediately, including Digital Gene Expression (DGE) Studies as well as Chip Sequencing (ChiPSeq) Assays. Inquiries are welcome.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/95898.php
A Cornucopia of siRNA- and RNAi-based Therapeutics in Development Show Promise
Researchers from academia and industry will present the latest developments in the application of interference RNA (RNAi) as a tool for gene silencing at “RNAi2008 Functions and Applications of Non-coding RNAs” to be held in March in Oxford, U.K. The meeting will focus on advances in the field and current opportunities and challenges in developing RNAi-based strategies for use in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying disease processes, identifying new drug targets, and developing therapeutic agents capable of silencing disease-related genes.
siRNA Therapeutics
“Refined Animal Models for Optimizing Delivery of Functional siRNAs to Skin,” is the title of the presentation to be given by Roger Kaspar, Ph.D., on behalf of TransDerm (www.transderm.org). The skin disorder on which the company is focusing its initial product development effort is pachyonychia congenital (PC), a rare autosomal dominant disease in which a mutation in the gene for keratin 6a (K6a) causes painful skin lesions to form. The K6a N171 mutation is a single-nucleotide replacement mutation in which an adenine is present in the mutant gene form in place of a cytosine, resulting in an amino acid change.
Dr. Kaspar, CEO of TransDerm, will describe how the company’s TD101 therapeutic small interfering RNA (siRNA) specifically targets the N171K mutant form of the gene without affecting the wild-type gene.
To assess the activity of TD101 and optimize a controlled-dose delivery system, TranDerm is developing transgenic mouse models. In collaboration with Christopher Contag, Ph.D., and colleagues in the molecular imaging program at Stanford University, the company is using molecular imaging in transgenic mice to demonstrate the effectiveness of siRNA knockdown of reporter genes.
http://www.genengnews.com/articles/chitem.aspx?aid=2343&nc=1
Fresh Insight into Evolution
It's a tantalizing thought worthy of X-Men-inspired daydreams: are some of us, for better or for worse, evolving faster than others? Growing evidence suggests that rates of genetic recombination--one of the driving forces of human evolution--vary greatly between individuals. Two new studies shed further light on the inner workings of this gene-shuffling process, highlighting differences in the way men and women rearrange the DNA that they pass on to their children. The findings could help scientists understand disorders such as miscarriage and Down syndrome, which are linked to errors in recombination.
During recombination, corresponding maternal and paternal chromosomes align within cells and swap bits of DNA. These cells eventually develop into sperm and eggs, endowing future offspring with a different configuration of genes than their parents. "Recombination constitutes one of the most powerful means by which new combinations of genetic variants are generated in the genome," says Kari Stefansson, chief executive officer of deCODE Genetics, in Iceland, and senior author of one of the studies.
http://www.technologyreview.com/Biotech/20139/
