AUTOMOTIVE

"We chose MetaCore as it has the most comprehensive, detailed database of human metabolism and signaling, and is also a one-stop shop for our systems analysis needs," said Dr Ben van Ommen, Senior Research Fellow in Nutritional Systems Biology of TNO. "Experimental data in nutrition are inherently complex, as the diet-influenced changes in disease onset and progression are subtle and multi-factorial. We also have the data from both human and model animals. In MetaCore, we can upload and compare all these data on the same networks and pathways and then analyze the networks with a variety of tools." "We are very happy with TNO's decision to apply MetaCore in nutrigenomics studies," said Dr. Tatiana Nikolskaya, Chief Scientific Officer and President of GeneGo. "Although MetaCore is broadly used for drug discovery in industry and academy, this is its first non-pharmaceutical application. We consider the collaboration with TNO as an important step forward in adaptation of systems biology technology for everyday use." Background: TNO is one of the leading research and technology organizations in Europe. It was established by the Dutch Government in 1932. TNO has a workforce of 5,500 employees, working in areas such as life sciences, industrial research, infrastructure, ICT and defense and safety. Within the life sciences area, the focus is on nutrition and toxicology (including systems biology), analysis, working environment, microbiology and product innovation. The main markets for life sciences contract research are the food, chemical and pharmaceutical industries. GeneGo is a Michigan-based company developing systems biology technology for life science research. The original computational platform allows an integration and expert analysis of different kinds of experimental data (mRNA expression, proteomics, metabolites, phenotypic data etc.) and relevant active chemistry (metabolites, drugs, other xenobiotics) within the framework of biological pathways and networks. GeneGo's first product, MetaCore, assists pharmaceutical scientists in the areas of target selection and validation, identification of biomarkers for disease states and toxicology. For more information, please visit the company's Web site at www.genego.com.