Program Will Support Development of Advanced
Visualization Tools for Gene Expression Analysis
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., Aug. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- PPGx, Inc., a
leading international developer and supplier of research-based pharmacogenomic
services and products, has been awarded a Phase I Small Business Innovation
Research (SBIR) grant from the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).
The federal grant totaling $98,934 will be used to develop a JAVA toolkit for
analyzing data from micro-arrays in pharmacogenomic research studies. The
Phase I program is designed to demonstrate the technical merit, feasibility
and usefulness of applying innovative Web-based visualization and analytical
methods to uncover patterns of gene expression associated with drug addiction.
Though initially focused on long-term drug addiction, the software, as
conceived, will ultimately help researchers study gene expression in a variety
of other conditions.
During the Phase I project, PPGx will work in close collaboration with
scientists at the National Institute for Drug Addiction (NIDA) to establish
user requirements, system design choices and specifications. The project will
include the development of an initial prototype system to include core
capabilities for evaluation of feasibility and utility.
"PPGx is excited and truly honored to receive this research grant because
it acknowledges and strengthens our ability to apply our bioinformatics
expertise to critical issues confronting researchers and healthcare
practitioners," said Josh Baker, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer
of PPGx. "Working in partnership with the Institute, we believe that the in-
depth information made possible by the software can help produce more
effective therapies for healthcare professionals treating addiction and other
diseases."
According to Baker, enhanced data visualization and mining tools such as
this software are essential to transforming raw scientific data into practical
medical knowledge for use in the clinical setting. "There is clearly a strong
synergy between the goals of this project and PPGx's mission of applying
bioinformatics and pharmacogenomic technology to discover how genetic
diversity affects individual drug response and develop predictive tools that
help healthcare professionals optimize patient outcomes."
Baker also noted that PPGx will incorporate the results of this project
into the company's GeneTrials(TM) Bioinformatics Platform, an innovative
software program that helps PPGx's clients and collaborators rapidly browse,
query and analyze the complex genomic and clinical data sets encountered in
pharmacogenomic research. PPGx launched the GeneTrials platform earlier this
month after a three-year, multi-million dollar research and development
effort.
About PPGx
PPGx (http://www.ppgx.com ) provides technical and consulting expertise in the
application of pharmacogenomics to optimize and accelerate drug discovery and
development. Combining genetic research technologies from its computational
and research divisions, GLP/CLIA global laboratory services and a
comprehensive bioinformatics platform, PPGx provides pharmacogenomic solutions
for biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. A joint venture formed in
February 1999 between PPD, Inc. (Nasdaq: PPDI) and Axys
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: AXPH), PPGx is committed to the discovery of
predictive genetic markers for use in clinical trials to result in delivery of
therapeutic and life-saving medicines. PPGx pharmacogenomic services and
products are exclusively marketed by PPD.
SOURCE PPGx Corporation
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Related links:
http://www.ppgx.com
CONTACT:
media, Roger Friedensen of Epley Associates,
Inc., for PPGx Corporation, 919-877-0877, or e-mail
friedensen@epley-ral.com
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