GENOME express increases
focus on integrated collaborative high throughput services and solutions
Company moves to
strengthen position as link in partners' R&D value chain
Grenoble, France, November 15, 2002 - GENOME express, the developer of
high value-added solutions for functional genomics and target discovery
and validation, announces today that it is increasing its focus on
integrated high throughput services and solutions for pharmaceutical,
biotech and agri-food industries.
The company has already implemented a number of measures to support this
strategy. These include the transfer of its oligonucleotide activity to
Qbiogene, a Canadian company that develops and markets molecular biology
and genomics products, and the recent launch of its proprietary
Discriminative Analysis of Clone Signatures (DACS[TM]) technology, a
solution focusing on the discovery process of tissue- or cell-expressed
genes.
"Remaining competitive and profitable in oligonucleotide activities
would have demanded significant investment," said Yves Laurent, CEO
of GENOME express. "We decided it would also be a distraction from
our higher added value activities where we are engaged in the
development and collaborative deployment of our unique integrated
platform (genomics, gene profiling and proteomics, bioinformatics) to
address real needs."
The recent launch of its Discriminative Analysis of Clone Signatures (DACS)
technology is a good illustration of GENOME express' commitment to
providing solutions offering real advantages to its customers and
partners.
"In the fast-moving
field of exploratory genomics, GENOME express intends to stay in the
forefront of high value-added services," added Laurent. "Our
new GE-DACS solution eliminates bottlenecks in the discovery process of
genes expressed in tissue or in a cell and reduces the expense and time
needed to generate resources and information for the expression analysis
of these genes."
Future investments and
collaborations will reinforce its already powerful in-house technology
platforms and the company will continue to build a business that brings
tangible, significant benefits to its customers. "We expect to make
further exciting announcements that will show how GENOME express brings
unique competitive advantages to its customers," concluded Laurent.
About GENOME express
GENOME express, Grenoble, France, develops and markets high value-added
solutions for functional genomics. The company offers a unique platform
that integrates proprietary tools for genomics (discovery and
identification of SNPs - Syn-Quence[TM]), transcriptomics (gene
expression analysis), and proteomics (identification of proteins using
genome mapping of mass spectrometry data - Pep Map[TM]). Building on its
success and experience as a service provider, GENOME express is
currently making its platform accessible to private sector researchers
and academics in the biopharmaceutical sector. This will be done through
partnerships and enable GENOME express customers to outsource their
R&D projects either in part or totally. The company is also
developing its own research to discover new targets for therapeutic or
diagnostic applications in the fields of metabolic diseases such as
diabetes or obesity, the central nervous system and bacterial genomics.
For further information
please contact:
Françoise Laurent
GENOME express
Public Relations
Tel: +33 4 56 38 11 08
Andrew Lloyd
Andrew Lloyd & Associates
Phone: +44-1273 675100
Fax: +44-1273 675400
