Omicia, Inc. And Johns Hopkins University Receive NIH Grant ForCollaboration To Identify Genetic Causes Of Cardiovascular Disease

Main Category: Cardiovascular / Cardiology
Also Included In: Genetics
Article Date: 16 Aug 2007 - 1:00 PDT

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Omicia, Inc., a privately held company specializing in personalized genetic signatures for early detection of disease risk, has been awarded its fourth NIH grant, a $182,732 Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health. This industry/academia collaboration between Omicia and Johns Hopkins University (JHU) will be headed by Principal Investigator Dr. Joel Bader, an Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering at JHU. Drawing upon Omicia's advanced understanding of disease genes and phenotypes and Dr. Bader's expertise in gene interaction networks and model organism genetics, the project will identify genes whose variants increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the developed world and is known to have a strong genetic component. Death from cardiovascular causes can be reduced if high-risk individuals are identified early, before any symptoms have appeared. Dr. Bader and Omicia aim to elucidate the genetic risk factors for cardiovascular disease in humans by drawing parallels from systematic genetic screens performed on fruit flies and other model organisms. The goal of these screens is to determine phenotypes (observable physical characteristics) for every relevant gene in each of the targeted model organisms. In this funded collaboration, data mining algorithms will be developed to select sets of genes, or modules, that give rise to similar phenotypes across the range of model organisms. These conserved modules are likely to play significant roles in human health and disease.

"This project will give us the opportunity to apply the latest findings in genetic research to the challenging problem of figuring out the molecular causes of complex diseases," said Dr. Bader, who is an inventor on the patent for the new high-speed 454 DNA sequencing technology that was recently used to completely sequence the first individual human genome. "By combining our research group's experience in analyzing gene interactions with Omicia's cutting-edge gene selection infrastructure, we aim to significantly advance the understanding of the genetic basis of cardiovascular disease, paving the way towards the earliest possible diagnosis and the most appropriate therapeutic options."

About Omicia

Omicia, Inc. is a life sciences company developing technologies and products that translate an individual's unique genetic makeup into clinically actionable information. The company's proprietary system identifies sets of genetic variations that are associated with increased disease risk or differences in drug response. After clinically validating these associations, Omicia combines the complex genetic signatures into a single risk index for each disease or treatment, helping to guide important medical decisions and achieve superior outcomes for each individual. Omicia is a privately held company located in Emeryville, California.

http://www.omicia.com