GNS announces a research collaboration with CombinatoRx
| Contact: |  |
Thomas Neyarapally Gene Network Sciences (617) 494-0492 tneyarapally@gnsbiotech.com |
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., August 3, 2007 – Gene Network Sciences, Inc. (GNS) today announced that it has entered into an agreement with CombinatoRx, Incorporated (CRXX) to contribute to ongoing mechanism of action research for synergistic combinations in development. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Under the agreement, the parties will use protein expression and transcriptional profiling data generated by CRXX and the GNS proprietary REFS (TM) (Reverse Engineering and Forward Simulation) software platform to characterize unanticipated mechanisms underlying the synergistic interactions between the components of multi-target therapeutic candidates. Combination effects are often caused by non-obvious interactions between biological targets and signaling pathways that can be uncovered using the REFS (TM) technology. This is the second agreement that GNS has announced in the critical area of understanding drug combinations and synergies in 2007. Earlier this year, GNS entered into an agreement with Weill Cornell Medical College to characterize the synergies between two commonly used classes of cancer drugs, farnesyl transferase inhibitors and taxanes.
“GNS is committed to extending the use of our technology across many types of pharmaceutical drug development projects,” said Colin Hill, CEO of GNS. “Our work with CombinatoRx stems from the unique value that the REFS (TM) approach offers in the development of truly novel combination therapies.”
About Gene Network Sciences
Founded in 2000, Gene Network Sciences (http://www.gnsbiotech.com/) is a leader in biosimulation with its ability to derive molecular mechanisms of drugs and diseases directly from molecular profiling and clinical data without any a priori knowledge. Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Ithaca, New York, GNS uses its REFSTM (reverse engineering and forward simulation) technology in pharmaceutical and clinical settings to rapidly turn complex and heterogeneous data sets into cell and organ-level computer models of drug efficacy and drug safety. These models simulate the mechanisms of disease and clinical performance of drug candidates. By discovering how and why specific drug candidates impact human biology, GNS technology enables the rapid development of breakthrough drug and diagnostic products.