DNAPrint genomics, Inc. Announces Collaboration With Famous Genetic Epidemiologist Dr. Paul McKeigue
Monday June 28, 5:37 pm ET
SARASOTA, Fla., June 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- DNAPrint genomics, Inc. ("The Company") announced today that it has entered into strategic algorithm development collaboration with famous genetic epidemiologist Dr. Paul McKeigue. The goal of the collaboration is to develop novel statistical genomics algorithms for a new style of genome screening called Admixture Mapping.
Dr. McKeigue invented the Admixture Mapping (AM) technique in 1998. The technique is distinct from the Mapping by Admixture Linkage Disequilibrium (MALD) technique introduced by Dr. Ranajit Chakraborty in 1986. Both techniques employ knowledge of population structure to identify genes that underlie complex diseases and drug response, but Admixture Mapping is considerably more sophisticated in a mathematical sense, and uses the power of Bayesian Analysis and an "affecters only" study design to dramatically increase the statistical power for detecting these genes.
Soon after its founding, DNAPrint genomics began consulting with Dr. McKeigue and Mark Shriver of the Pennsylvania State University to augment Admixture Mapping methods and build Ancestry Informative Marker (AIM) libraries for efficient commercial-scale screening of the genome. DNAPrint is already using its own patent-pending variation of the Admixture Mapping method to construct predictive tests for tailoring drugs and doses to patients based on their genetic constitution. This platform has resulted in the identification of numerous genes involved in a number of both positive and negative responses to commonly prescribed drugs. DNAPrint intends to employ the new, improved ADMIXMAP algorithms for a variety of disease gene screens, many of which promise to be the first of their kind ever conducted.
"We believe that the mathematics and advanced computational methods we will be refining and developing will allow us to find elusive disease and drug response genes that others have missed using older, less powerful screening technologies," said Dr. Tony Frudakis, DNAPrint's Chief Scientific Officer. He continued, "This deal confers a sort of pole position for the Company with respect to this exciting new genome scanning methodology, because it is not just the maps of AIMs that are necessary for Admixture Mapping, but advanced analytical tools that are capable of accommodating parameter uncertainty."
"The mathematics at work here give DNAPrint an advantage because it allows us to research genetic mediated diseases and to develop or license compounds that work to treat the disorders," said Richard Gabriel, DNAPrint's CEO. "We will extend our reach further into the pharmaceutical industry with advanced mathematical and software programs as well as genomic technologies. We are very pleased to have Dr. McKeigue and his team helping us."
The most common U.S. and European pharmaceutical business model is based on the idea of root genetic causes for disease and small molecule (i.e. drug) targeting of the corresponding defective gene products and their corresponding biological receptors or pathways. DNAP plans to use Admixture Mapping to identify the most likely drug targets, not just the genetic markers of disease or its symptoms. This requires understanding how each individual's genetic ancestry affects treatment or disease progression.
The agreement announced today will provide support for a Bayesian mathematician in Dr. McKeigue's Dublin laboratory, and will enable DNAPrint's computer scientists to improve and augment existing ADMIXMAP code. Paul McKeigue holds joint professorships at the University College London, School of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene and the University of Dublin, Ireland, School of Genetic Epidemiology.
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