Paris, France; 25 January 2005 ….. IntegraGen, the personalized medicines company, is to take a significant role in the DiOgenes (Diet, Obesity and Genes) project. IntegraGen is one of a consortium of 30 EU organizations that has been awarded €14.5M to carry out a coordinated investigation into a broad range of factors influencing weight gain, from diet intervention to gene nutrient interactions. IntegraGen will, in collaboration with the INSERM consortium on the Functional Genomics of Obesity, be responsible for the genetic aspects of the project.

Dr Jörg Hager, CSO of IntegraGen commented:
“As a leader in the field of complex disease genetics, IntegraGen can play a key role in this project that seeks to explore the interaction of diet and genes on weight gain. Obesity is a health issue of increasing concern for Western societies. IntegraGen has already established a long heritage of ground-breaking work in the field of obesity genetics, having already identified five genes associated with the condition. We are looking forward to bringing our expertise to this innovative project.”

DiOgenes aims to respond to the challenge of obesity by involving a wide-range of different scientific and medical disciplines in a co-ordinated investigative project to gain a better understanding of obesity and its alleviation by dietary means.  IntegraGen will be involved in an investigation of gene nutrient interactions that will enable the prediction of individual responses to nutrients and their impact on body weight.  Ultimately, this will contribute to the development of personalized diet-based regimes.  A DNA bank of over 13,000 individuals will form the basis of initial studies, with further analysis carried out on samples provided from longitudinal, multi-country, dietary studies.

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About IntegraGen

IntegraGen SA uses its unique genomic analysis expertise to identify genes associated with complex diseases and to develop diagnostic tests. The Company applies its innovative gene mapping technology, GenomeHIP® (Genome Hybrid Identity Profiling), to rapidly discover genetic loci that are implicated in complex, multi-factorial diseases. GenomeHIP® is a major advance that overcomes the limitations of existing marker based familial linkage study methods.

IntegraGen's in-house programs are focused on identifying genes involved in neurological disorders, including autism and bi-polar disorder, and metabolic disorders, such as obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. The unique approach of the company is based on its powerful technology platform and the belief that identifying genes for human diseases can best be achieved by analyzing meticulously selected patients in the context of a thorough understanding of the biology behind the disease. In its obesity studies, the Company has already identified 10 highly significant associated loci and five disease-associated genes. One of these genes is for a G-Protein coupled Receptor (GPcR) and has been shown to be functionally relevant.

The Company's strategy is to develop molecular diagnostic tools for selected disease areas with high medical need. To this end, IntegraGen is also looking to access DNA collections and to build gene discovery collaborations in the area of complex genetic diseases. Founded in July 2000, IntegraGen has 34 employees and is based in the French Genopole of Evry, near Paris, France, and in Bonn, Germany.

More information can be found at www.integragen.com

About the DiOgenes (Diet, Obesity and Genes) project

The rapid increase in the prevalence of obesity and associated co-morbidities is a major global health problem. The DiOgenes project addresses the influence of gene-nutrient interactions on the development of obesity. The project will provide the scientific basis for achieving a better understanding of the interaction between genetic background and measured phenotypic traits, in particular dietary factors leading to weight gain or regain and their consequences for the development of obesity and co-morbidities.

The primary focus of DiOGenes is an investigation of dietary macronutrient components that will facilitate the prevention of weight gain and regain, studying specifically the role of the Glycaemic Index (GI) of carbohydrate and of high dietary protein content for enhancing satiety. The objective is to examine interactions between the dietary components and genetic and behaviour factors. With access to large long term prospective cohorts across Europe with hard clinical and nutritional data, DiOGenes has a unique opportunity to identify gene-nutrient interactions associated with changes in body weight and waist circumference.

In the most comprehensive examination to date of the relation between diet and phenotype in the control of body weight, DiOgenes will identify key psychological/behavioural predictors of weight gain given a genetic susceptibility, for use in diagnosing risk of weight gain and for better matching diets to consumer needs.

The project includes 30 institutions (23 academic, 4 SMEs and 3 large food producers) from 15 different European countries.

For more information, see www.diogenes-eu.org