Company Changes Name of Global Pharmacogenetic Business Unit
FREMONT, Calif., June 18 /PRNewswire/ -- DNA Sciences, Inc. has changed
the name of its wholly-owned pharmacogenetic testing and services subsidiary
(previously PPGx, Inc.) to DNA Sciences Laboratories, Inc. The move reflects
company efforts to continue to integrate DNA Sciences Laboratories with DNA
Sciences' state-of-the-art research infrastructure and overall genetics
expertise. All DNA Sciences Laboratories' pharmacogenetic products and
services will continue to be exclusively marketed through PPD, Inc. under the
brand name Pharmacogenomic Solutions.
"DNA Sciences provides integrated support for pharmaceutical company
discovery, development and marketing that leverages the emerging role of
genetics in pharmaceutical development," said Dr. Hugh Y. Rienhoff, Jr.,
chairman and chief executive officer of DNA Sciences, Inc. "Our goal is to
cultivate a unified identity for DNA Sciences across the spectrum of our
business activities, including clinical support services and research
collaborations that seek to identify genetic variants involved in treatment
response. In addition, DNA Sciences Laboratories enables commercialization of
products resulting from our own discovery efforts."
DNA Sciences Laboratories is a leading provider of pharmacogenetic
clinical and research products and services conducted in regulated and
non-regulated research facilities, including clinical genotyping, assay
development and validation, target validation, allele frequency determination
and polymorphism discovery. The company is the first to deliver
pharmacogenetic testing services that meet both Good Laboratory Practice (GLP)
and Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act (CLIA) standards. Current DNA
Sciences Laboratories clients include 18 of the top 25 pharmaceutical
companies. DNA Sciences Laboratories also offers TPMT (thiopurine
S-methyltransferase), a clinical diagnostic test used in management of
patients treated with thiopurine medications.
"As genetics becomes integrated into the drug discovery and development
process, we anticipate our clinical laboratories business to grow
aggressively," said Dr. Rienhoff. "We believe the key drivers of growth will
be the application of genetics in drug discovery and development, our ability
to integrate future genetic discoveries into the drug development process at
many different stages, and the increased use of gene-based diagnostic tools in
clinical management."
DNA Sciences Laboratories has an established reputation for providing
clients with high-quality pharmacogenetic test data and access to an expert
staff skilled in applying genetics to clinical development. As part of DNA
Sciences, Inc., the company's resources have expanded to include a
state-of-the-art sequencing and genotyping facility, and an accomplished team
of geneticists under the leadership of Ray White, Ph.D. DNA Sciences
Laboratories will continue to be based in Research Triangle Park, NC, with
facilities in La Jolla, Calif.; Cambridge, Mass.; and Cambridge, UK.
DNA Sciences Genetic Model
DNA Sciences' research is based on the idea that the genetic variants
involved in common diseases are of low to moderate penetrance, i.e., only some
carriers will develop the disease. Many of these moderately-penetrant gene
variants may be difficult to detect using classical methods of discovery. DNA
Sciences has developed new methods specifically designed to identify these
types of gene variants. Discovery of these gene variants will help patients
and their physicians manage health more effectively through disease
risk-reduction, earlier diagnosis and more specific therapies.
About DNA Sciences
DNA Sciences, Inc. is an integrated genetics discovery company focused on
identifying the genetic basis of common disease susceptibility, disease
progression and response to drug treatment. The company is based in Fremont,
Calif. and was founded in May 1998.
DNA Sciences recruits samples for its research through academic and
corporate collaborations, as well as the DNA Sciences Gene Trust Project(SM).
Visit the DNA Sciences website at http://www.dna.com.
Statements included in this news release that are not historical in nature
are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor"
provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These
statements include those regarding the potential applicability of the research
efforts of DNA Sciences and its business strategies and research and
development efforts. We caution readers that forward-looking statements are
subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to
differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. The
information in this news release is current as of its release date and DNA
Sciences takes no responsibility to update the information.
SOURCE DNA Sciences, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.dna.com
CONTACT:
Ami Knoefler of DNA Sciences, Inc.,
510-494-4052, or mobile, 415-305-5309, or aknoefler@dna.com
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