Sequence Information for Proteus mirabilis and Klebsiella pneumoniae added to
version 10.0 of PathoGenome(TM) Database,
available through Compugen's LabOnWeb.com
WALTHAM, Mass., Oct. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Genome Therapeutics Corp.
(Nasdaq: GENE) today announced that it is the first to sequence Proteus
mirabilis, a gram-negative bacteria that is a major cause of urinary tract
infections. The Company also announced that it has sequenced Klebsiella
pneumoniae, an organism implicated in urinary tract infections and other
nosocomial bacterial infections. The DNA sequences of these organisms have
the potential to facilitate the development of novel antibiotics.
"Proteus strains are perhaps the most important bacterial cause of urinary
tract infections that affect individuals with structural problems in the
urinary tract," explained Barry Eisenstein, M.D., VP, Science and Technology
for Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Professor of Medicine for Harvard
Medical School and a scientific advisor to Genome Therapeutics. "Proteus
mirabilis is often the cause of severe infection for patients with kidney
stones, resulting in rapid destruction of kidney function. As with many gram-
negative organisms, it has demonstrated an increased resistance to a broad
array of antibiotics."
Of all the Proteae, P. mirabilis causes the most human infections and is
commonly found in the environment and in hospitals and has been associated
with bacteremia, meningitis, and surgical infections. This organism's
increasing antibiotic-resistance is a major medical concern. K. pneumoniae
accounts for a substantial amount of hospital-acquired urinary tract
infections, pneumonia, septicemias, and soft tissue infections. It is also
increasingly resistant to multiple antibiotics.
"By adding high-quality sequences of drug-resistant organisms to our
proprietary PathoGenome(TM) Database, we are able to build the commercial
value of our collection of both gram-negative and gram-positive bacterial
genomes," said Richard D. Gill, Ph.D., President and COO. "This balanced
representation allows our subscribers to discover novel antibiotic targets
that directly address the urgent crisis of antibiotic resistance and enhances
our leadership in infectious disease genomics."
The genomic information of both organisms was derived from clinical
isolates and sequenced using a whole-genome shotgun approach, with greater
than 6-fold sequence coverage and finished to identify the genes. Genome
Therapeutics' industrial-scale sequencing and bioinformatics capabilities have
identified more than 3,977 new P. mirabilis genes, in 21 ordered contigs from
the 3.9 mega base pair genome, and more than 6,639 K. pneumoniae genes in 40
ordered contigs from the 5.6 mega base pair genome.
The PathoGenome(TM) Database is the highest quality commercial source of
microbial genomic information available and an important tool for developing
new antibiotics to combat drug resistance. The database enables drug
discovery researchers to search for new genes among multiple pathogens and to
perform effective comparisons among public and proprietary microbial
sequences. It provides functionally annotated sequence information about more
than 30 of the most medically important microbial organisms, including
virulent strains of Staphylococcus, Pseudomonas, Streptococcus, Acinetobacter,
Aspergillus, Bacteroides, Enterobacter, Klebsiella, Proteus, Enterococcus and
Candida species.
Previously available solely through unlimited access subscriptions,
researchers gained access in August to the PathoGenome(TM) Database via the
Internet through Compugen's (Nasdaq: CGEN) LabOnWeb.com search engine. Full
service subscribers include Aventis, Bayer AG, bioMerieux, Bristol-Myers
Squibb, Schering-Plough and Scriptgen Pharmaceuticals.
Compugen's LabOnWeb.com provides life science researchers with access to
Compugen's proprietary gene database as well as public data. Launched in
December 1999, LabOnWeb.com is being developed to accommodate a growing number
of research tools and databases for a wide scope of applications.
Genome Therapeutics (http://www.genomecorp.com) is a leader in the
commercialization of genomics-based drug discovery. The Company's gene
discovery strategy is to identify and characterize human genes associated with
major diseases and elucidate microbial genes as novel drug targets against
many serious infectious organisms. Together with its strategic partners,
including Schering-Plough, AstraZeneca, Wyeth-Ayerst and bioMerieux, Genome
Therapeutics is using genomic information to develop a new generation of
genomics-based pharmaceutical, vaccine and diagnostic products.
Statements in this press release that are not strictly historical are
"forward looking" statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. A number of important factors could cause actual results
to differ materially from those projected or suggested in the forward looking
statement including, but not limited to, the ability of the Company and its
alliance partners to (i) successfully develop products based on the Company's
genomic information, (ii) obtain the necessary governmental approvals, (iii)
effectively commercialize any products developed before its competitors and
(iv) obtain and enforce intellectual property rights, as well as the risk
factors described in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K.
SOURCE Genome Therapeutics Corp.
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Related links:
http://www.genomecorp.com
CONTACT:
Christopher Taylor, Sr. Director of Investor
Relations, of Genome Therapeutics Corp., 781-398-2466; or Doug
MacDougall, Sr. Vice President, of Feinstein Kean Healthcare,
617-577-8110, for Genome Therapeutics Corp.
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