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Archives News room 2003 |
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Bayer HealthCare AG and genOway announce an agreement in the field of genetically modified mouse models
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Lyon, December 16th, 2003
genOway reports the agreement with the major pharmaceutical company Bayer HealthCare AG. This agreement covers the development of genetically modified mouse models using the proprietary technology platform of genOway in order to provide Bayer HealthCare with animal models of high predictability within the shortest development time.
Bayer HealthCare and genOway have signed a non-exclusive agreement covering the development of mouse models. Bayer will provide genOway with gene targets and genOway will use its technologies and its expertise in the transgenesis field in order to develop the adequate research models. The resulting models will be used in Bayer HealthCare drug discovery research activities, for gene function analysis as well as for the testing of novel drug candidates.
Financial conditions and therapeutic areas of interest were not disclosed.
The offer embraces technologies classically used in transgenesis (knock out, knock-in, conditional and inducible systems) and several innovative approaches such as: "Safe DNA Transgenesis™", "Safe RNAi Transgenesis™", "Safe Large DNA Transgenesis™", "Safe Knock out™Quick Knock-in™" and rat cloning.
genOway's expertise combine several cutting-edge proprietary technologies giving the company a leadership in the field of transgenesis. These technologies enhance the predictability, security and robustness of the models developed. Focusing its effort on the mouse and rat, genOway has developed a complete range of innovative technological solutions to create better models. These solutions aim at increasing the predictability and throughput of research in target validation, drug screening and pharmacological - toxicological studies.
genOway is a company dedicated to provide the bio pharmaceutical industry with innovative solutions and technologies.
"We are pleased to start this ambitious collaboration with Bayer HealthCare, a world-class company and one of the leaders in the pharmaceutical areas. This agreement is a further confirmation that genOway's technologies and expertise make it a reliable partner for pharmaceutical companies" said Dr. Fraichard, CEO of genOway.
About Bayer:
www.bayerhealthcare.com
Bayer HealthCare AG, a subgroup of Bayer AG, with sales of approximately 9,4 billion Euro in 2002, is one of the world's leading, innovative companies in the health care and medical products industry. The company combines the global activities of the divisions Animal Health, Biological Products, Consumer Care, Diagnostics and Pharmaceuticals. More than 34,000 people are employed by Bayer HealthCare worldwide. Our aim is to discover and manufacture innovative products that will improve human and animal health worldwide. Our products enhance well-being and quality of life by diagnosing, preventing and treating disease.
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World's First Cloned Rats from genOway and INRA |
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Major scientific breakthrough will deliver better medicines to the world
- Published in Science today -
September, 25 2003
genOway (Lyon, France), Europe's leading provider of transgenic cellular and animal models, and its partner INRA (Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique), announce that they have succeeded in producing the world's first cloned rats. Details of this major scientific breakthrough are published today in Science. The rat is one of the most widely used animal models in scientific research. Cloning will aid in the development of genetically modified rat models of greater predictability and quality. Scientific results obtained from these models will contribute to the development of innovative therapeutics for major pathologies such as cardiovascular diseases, cancers, obesity, diabetes and neurological disorders.
genOway has been able to clone the rat by applying a proprietary technology platform derived from nuclear transfer. The adult male and female cloned rats are fertile and exhibit no abnormalities. The data published in Science unambiguously demonstrates that the animals are clones and that the technology can be used to generate targeted mutations in the rat.
" The success we have announced today represents an important result for the pharmaceutical industry, as bio-pharmaceutical companies can now look forward to significant productivity increases in their R&D process by using genetically modified rats. This would save tremendous resources in the industry by optimizing management of the drug development pipeline. We are currently working on building an international consortium that would bring together pharmaceutical companies and biotech companies with the objective of developing knock-out and knock-in rat models targeting therapeutic areas of high unmet medical need, such as hypertension, obesity, diabetes and neurological disorders," said Alexandre Fraichard, CEO of genOway.
" The importance of this scientific breakthrough should not be underestimated given that numerous research teams have been working on rat cloning for years without significant results. The combination of genOway's expertise and INRA's capabilities has been very successful in controlling activation of rat oocytes, the critical parameter in rat reproduction. As a result, we have now mastered the only technology that can achieve targeted genetic modifications in rat. This paves the way for the development of sophisticated genetically-modified rat models which will be of immense benefit to scientists around the world," said Dr Jean-Paul Renard, Head of Reproduction and Developmental Biology, INRA.
genOway is now focusing on the generation of cloned animals with specific genetic modifications (knock-out and knock-in rats), that are designed to provide improved models for highly relevant therapeutic areas such as cardiovascular (hypertension, atherosclerosis…) and neuroscience (Alzheimer's disease, aging…). In parallel, the company is also working on new and better models for toxicology and pharmacology studies, two key steps in the drug development process.
Rats are physiologically closer to humans than most other species used in research, and are reliable models for the study of many human diseases, as well as for the discovery of new druggable targets and therapeutic molecules. " The vast amount of physiological data collected on the rat over decades makes it a research model of key importance for many human pathologies," says Prof. M.Lazdunski, a pharmacologist and Director of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology Institute (CNRS, France).
The international scientific community eagerly awaits genetically modified rat models (see NIH report: http://www.nih.gov/science/models/rat/genomics). With genetically modified rat models, it is possible to combine the power of genetics with the power of rat physiology, but until now, genetic manipulation in the rat has been hampered by the lack of suitable technologies.
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genOway has received the "most innovative biotechnology company award" |
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October, 29th 2003
genOway has received the "most innovative Biotechnology Company Award" at the European Venture Capital meeting in Paris on October 29th 2003 (Capital IT).
This prize was given by M. Philippe JURGENSEN, CEO of the French Agency for Innovation (ANVAR).
This prize rewards the company for its dynamic and successful development of innovative cutting-edge technologies and solutions.
The company has not only, marketed 3 new technologies in 2003 but also, has recently published in Science the world's first cloned rats. Indeed, genetically modified rat models pave the way for the development of innovative drugs in areas where medical needs are unmet (Obesity, Alzheimer,...)
Capital-IT ( www.capital-it.com) has become one of the leading European events for financing high tech companies involved in the IT and life science fields.
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genOway raises € 3.3 Million in private equity |
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Fundraising consolidates the company's leading european position in the development of tailor-made transgenic mice and rats
genOway (Lyon, France), the leading European provider in transgenesis, announced today the completion of a € 3.3 million fundraising. The money raised will support the growth of the company, thus consolidating its European leading position in the development of tailor-made transgenic mice and rats. In the last four years, genOway has expanded its business to 13 European countries and is now working with major leading pharmaceutical companies such as GlaxoSmithKline, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Novartis, Pfizer, sanofi-synthelabo and Servier, as well as renowned non-profit academic research institutes including King's College of London, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and Pasteur Institute.
This new fundraising, led by Dassault Developpement, reaffirms the confidence of all the existing investors - Qualis SCA, Rhone Alpes Creation and Dassault Developpement - have iientific solutions for pharmaceutical companies and research institutes.
The successful fundraising will enable the company to launch its new product portfolio in Europe (for example, the release of the 'Safe Transgenesis™, technology will guarantee the development of an unlimited number of transgenic animals with predefined characteristics). The competitive advantages of these new products are to reduce the risk and development time of transgenesis projects, whire crucial for the industry. The remaining funds will also foster a research programme to develop cloned rats and humanised models.
"Over the last two decades scientists have been burdened with exhausting procedures and unpredictable results of genetically modified animal models. With our three "safe and fast" technologies that will be launched this year, scientists will no longer have to face such obstacles," said Alexandre Fraichard, CEO of genOway.
"We trust in genOway because they are focused on meeting an existing need in the marketplace and because they are the only solid company to offer this expert service," explained Jean-Claude Lévêque from Dassault Developpement.
In addition, genOway has invested in newly renovated facilities in order to support the company's expected rapid growth. The new 1,200 square metre facility houses state-of-the-art laboratories and research equipment and have been fully financed by genOway in 2002 thus providing a debt-free infrastructure with no further spending. The local authority of "Grand Lyon" strongly supported the refurbishment of this facility.
The laboratories are staffed by scientific experts with years of experience in molecular biology and cellular biology and the company intends to expand its workforce further over the next few months. The facility has been functionally designed for ISO 9002 certification.
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