- Important New Approach to Understanding Disease Processes -
PRINCETON, N.J. and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Aug. 28 /PRNewswire/ --
Physiome Sciences, Inc. and 3rd Millennium Inc. today announced that 3rd
Millennium licensed the PathwayPrism(TM) biological modeling technology to use
in conjunction with data integration technology it is developing through its
Advanced Technology Program (ATP) grant. The combination of these
technologies will enable 3rd Millennium and its academic collaborators to
visualize and simulate pathways and associated networks related to
Huntington's disease.
"We know from our work with researchers in industry and academia that
there is tremendous excitement regarding the use of computers to organize,
test, extend and communicate -- through pathways models -- the biological
knowledge related to particular disease processes and other related biological
phenomena," said Richard Dweck, president of 3rd Millennium Inc. "The U.S.
Department of Commerce awarded us an ATP grant because it recognized the broad
benefits to researchers from the ability to utilize fully new and growing data
sources within the context of pathway models. We chose Physiome's technology
after a thorough review because it represents the best method for building,
visualizing, and simulating disease pathways like Huntington's. We are
looking forward to a very productive relationship."
In work funded through a two year, $1.8 million ATP grant, 3rd Millennium
has developed technology to store and integrate many types of biological data
along with their biological context. This capability provides the foundation
for computer modeling of networks of biological pathways by tying together the
context of the organs, tissues, and cells with gene expression, interaction,
and functional data. PathwayPrism is critical technology designed to
visualize, integrate, simulate and annotate molecular interactions in cell
signaling. In its collaboration with academic researchers, 3rd Millennium
will use PathwayPrism technology to represent these integrated data and
knowledge of Huntington's disease in computer models. It will also utilize
these combined technologies to simulate and calculate pathways, and validate
current knowledge about related pathways as new data types and sources become
available.
"We are delighted to be working with 3rd Millennium," said Dr. Jeremy
Levin, president and CEO at Physiome Sciences. "It is our hope that this work
will further the understanding of important biological paradigms in hereditary
diseases. This use of our technology is another example of how our
computational modeling technology can be used to approach the challenges of
disease research."
Huntington's disease was chosen because of the wealth of publicly
available data that can be used with these technologies to document and extend
current knowledge about the disease. Huntington's disease is a fatal,
autosomal dominant neurological illness causing involuntary movements, severe
emotional disturbance and cognitive decline. It usually strikes in mid-life,
in the thirties or forties, although it can also attack children and the
elderly. There is no treatment to halt the inexorable progression, which
leads to death after ten to twenty-five years. In the United States, the
prevalence of the disease is about 10 cases per 100,000 people -- about 30,000
people in all. There are another 150,000 people at risk.
With knowledge of current protein-protein interactions and cellular
behavior, Physiome Sciences' PathwayPrism technology allows the mapping,
modeling, and simulation of signal transduction pathways, biochemical pathways
and diseases. The models enable researchers to generate new insights and
rapidly test new hypotheses through targeted wet bench experiments. All these
models are web-enabled and use the XML based mark-up language CellML(TM)
(http://www.CellML.org), permitting transfer to others working on similar or
related problems, and give researchers the ability to integrate qualitative
and quantitative data, modify and update pathways and access public databases.
Researchers can also use these models to simulate and explore experimental
conditions used in a number of areas including drug target validation and
toxicological studies.
About 3rd Millennium
3rd Millennium Inc., a privately held company, located in Cambridge, MA,
is a leading developer of life science information systems. The Company works
with pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and academic clients on a project basis to
design and develop software systems critical to the early stages of research
and discovery. 3rd Millennium has developed applications in areas such as
sequence and annotation databases, similarity searches and motif analysis,
image acquisition and analysis, laboratory information management (LIMS),
knowledge management, and analysis information management (AIMS). Additional
information about 3rd Millennium's services can be obtained by visiting the
company's website at http://www.3rdmill.com or by calling 1-888-3rdmill.
About Physiome Sciences
Physiome Sciences, Inc., a privately held Princeton-based company, is a
leader in the commercial development of software tools, proprietary databases,
and web applications for simulating biological processes. This biological
operating system can be harnessed to model cells, tissues and organs, in a
virtual setting, enabling scientists to generate predictive information using
their own data. Drug developers, for example, already use Physiome's
operating system and models to predict the effects of specific drugs on
animals and humans. This greatly speeds the selection of drugs for entry into
human trials. The selection process becomes more rational and potentially
increases drug quality at an early state of development.
For additional information on Physiome Sciences' products, e-mail the
company at Product_Info@physiome.com. This release and additional news about
Physiome can be obtained by visiting the company's web site at
http://www.physiome.com.
Contacts:
Physiome Sciences, Inc.
Jane Maida, Chief Financial Officer
609-627-7310
email: jmaida@physiome.com
3rd Millennium Inc.
Eric Meyers, Vice President
617-441-3030
email: emeyers@3rdmill.com
Noonan/Russo Communications, Inc.
Prateek Patnaik (Media)
(212) 696-4455, ext. 273
email: news@noonanrusso.com
SOURCE Physiome Sciences, Inc. and 3rd Millennium Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.physiome.com
http://www.3rdmill.com
CONTACT:
Jane Maida, Chief Financial Officer of
Physiome Sciences, Inc., +1-609-627-7310, jmaida@physiome.com;
Eric Meyers, Vice President of 3rd Millennium Inc.,
+1-617-441-3030, emeyers@3rdmill.com; Media - Prateek Patnaik of
Noonan-Russo Communications, Inc., +1-212-696-4455, ext. 273,
news@noonanrusso.com, for Physiome Sciences, Inc.
NOTE TO EDITORS: This release can also be obtained on the
Internet at http://www.noonanrusso.com
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