ParAllele
BioScience, Inc. announced today its joint collaboration agreement with the
University of Iowa Cell Biology and Functional Genomics Laboratory, the UI
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and the UI Center for Macular
Degeneration to accelerate the discovery of genes associated with age-related
macular degeneration (AMD). The research initiative will be led by Gregory
Hageman, Ph.D., professor at the UI Carver College of Medicine.
AMD is the leading cause of irreversible vision loss in the developed
world, affecting 15 to 20 percent of individuals over the age of 60, or an
estimated 50 million individuals.
“The molecular events leading to the development of AMD are poorly
understood and no pharmacological treatment has been shown to be effective in
preventing, arresting or reversing the loss of vision associated with early
AMD,” Hageman said.
Recent genome-wide linkage analyses have revealed loci on multiple
chromosomes with the potential to harbor major AMD-associated genes. “We
choose to collaborate with ParAllele because of their ability to
comprehensively analyze those regions for both common and rare mutations that
may be AMD-associated,” he added. “Our long range goal is to identify new
pathways and therapeutic targets that will hasten the development of
pharmaceutical agents capable of delaying the onset and/or progression of
AMD.”
Hageman’s studies are funded by the National Eye Institute at NIH and
additional corporate entities.
“The agreement is an exciting opportunity for us to combine ParAllele’s
strengths in pharmacogenomics and high throughput gene mutation discovery with
the acknowledged leadership of Dr. Hageman and his Institute in the field of
AMD-associated pathways,” said Nick Naclerio, CEO of ParAllele BioScience,
Inc.
About ParAllele BioScience
ParAllele BioScience, Inc. is accelerating healthcare breakthroughs by
providing comprehensive genetic discovery solutions to the life science
research, pharmaceutical and diagnostic sectors. The company’s products and
services utilize a multiplexed approach that leverages novel biochemical
processes rather than complex instrumentation to discover and analyze minute
variations in the human genome. The understanding of how subtle genetic
variations contribute to disease risk, prognosis and drug response will lead
to new and more effective drugs, predictive diagnosis, and the ability to
better tailor therapies to individual patients. Headquartered in South San
Francisco, California, ParAllele BioScience was founded by a team of leading
researchers from the Stanford Genome Technology Center and Uppsala University.
The company’s investors include Abingworth Management, Index Ventures, Mohr
Davidow Ventures, and Versant Ventures. For more information about ParAllele,
please visit the company’s website at: parallelebio.
NOTE: ParAllele is a trademark of ParAllele BioScience, Inc.
ParAllele BioScience, Inc.
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