PITTSBURGH and NEW YORK, Feb. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Cellumen, Inc. (Cellumen)
and CHDI, Inc. (CHDI), announced today collaborative research agreements to
build a Systems Cell Biology model of Huntington's Disease (HD). The cellular
model, based on Cellumen's proprietary approach to Systems Biology, will serve
as the foundation of a broadly applicable neurotoxicity profiling panel that
will be used to characterize pre-clinical candidate molecules.
"Cellumen's approach to Systems Biology starts with the cell, the basic
unit of life, an integrated and interacting network of genes, proteins and
biochemical reactions which give rise to function," stated Kate Johnston,
Ph.D., VP of Discovery Programs at Cellumen. "Neuro-toxicity must be
considered a Systems Biology challenge, not just the response of a few
cellular constituents. There is great potential to create a Systems Cell
Biology profile of the cytotoxic effects of mutant Huntington expression which
will facilitate the development of new therapies for Huntington's disease".
Robert E. Pacifici, Ph.D., executive responsible for CHDI, Inc., added
that "Cell-based phenotypic assays are critical for CHDI since there is not a
clearly defined set of well-validated and chemically-tractable targets for HD
drug discovery. We look forward to leveraging Cellumen's high content
platform which we feel is a unique combination of biology and technology. We
are confident that Cellumen's technology will greatly contribute to our
portfolio of screening tools."
About Cellumen, Inc.:
Cellumen is a Systems Cell Biology company developing sophisticated
cellular models for collaborative discovery programs with pharmaceutical,
biotechnology and private research foundations. Powerful cellular models of
disease are created using proprietary reagents that measure and manipulate
cellular constituents. These cellular models are explored with imaging
technologies to illuminate cellular function in health and disease.
About CHDI, Inc. and High Q Foundation, Inc.:
CHDI and the High Q Foundation, Inc. (High Q) are non-profit organizations
that share the mission of bringing together academia, industry, governmental
agencies, and other funding organizations in the search for HD treatments.
CHDI is pursuing a biotech approach to rapidly discover and develop drugs
that prevent or slow HD. Through collaborations with industrial and academic
partners, CHDI participates in all aspects of drug discovery and development
from high throughput screening to preclinical development. For more
information about CHDI and its collaborative programs please see
http://www.chdi-inc.org or contact Robert Pacifici (robert.pacifici@chdi-inc.org).
High Q supports HD research aimed at target identification and validation,
the development and use of animal models, drug delivery, and the search for
markers of disease progression. For more information about High Q and its
support of HD research please see http://www.highqfoundation.org or contact Ethan
Signer (ethan.signer@highqfoundation.org) or Allan Tobin
(allan.tobin@highqfoundation.org).
About Huntington's Disease:
HD is a familial disease, passed from parent to child through a mutation
in a gene. Each child of an HD parent has a 50-50 chance of inheriting the HD
gene which causes programmed degeneration of brain cells and results in
emotional disturbance, loss of intellectual faculties and uncontrolled
movements. Most people with HD develop the symptoms at midlife but in some
people onset occurs in infancy or old age. The average survival time after
onset is approximately fifteen to twenty years. It is estimated that about one
in every 10,000 persons has the HD gene. At this time, there is no way to stop
or reverse the course of HD.
SOURCE Cellumen, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.chdi-inc.org
http://www.highqfoundation.org http://www.cellumen.com
CONTACT:
Kate Johnston, Ph.D., VP Discovery Programs
of Cellumen, Inc., +1-412-481-5691, or kjohnston@cellumen.com; or
Robert Pacifici, Ph.D. of CHDI, Inc.-MRSSI, Inc.,
+1-310-342-5507, or robert.pacifici@chdi-inc.org
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