SYSTEMS

Today, Swiss-based computational biology provider Genedata AG announced a three-year expansion of their collaboration with the HepatoSys research network. HepatoSys, an interdisciplinary initiative funded in 2003 by leading German research centers, aims to understand the physiology and pathophysiology of the human liver cell using a systems biology approach. In the first funding period of HepatoSys, Genedata had been tasked to develop and establish a computational platform serving as the consortium’s central data storage and analysis infrastructure. The platform - built on Genedata’s established products Phylosopher and Expressionist - was successfully deployed and is now being used by the consortium. The centralized data storage infrastructure enables an integrative approach to the interpretation of systems biology modeling results in the context of experimental findings, including high-throughput transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics data. Taking the collaboration to the next level, Genedata will now work on data analysis projects to interpret the huge amounts of molecular profiling data generated within the HepatoSys consortium.“After having built successfully on Genedata’s track record in developing our scientific computing infrastructure, we see a tremendous opportunity in bringing together our academic expertise with Genedata’s know-how to transfer systems biology applications to the pharmaceutical industry,” said Prof. Jens Timmer, scientific spokesman for HepatoSys. “The ambitous goal to simulate complex biochemical networks and their regulation in liver cells is highly relevant for innovative biomedical applications,” explained Prof. Irmgard Merfort, Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Freiburg. “Cellular processes such as programmed cell death and regeneration of liver cells are of great scientific and medical interest. Genedata will help us to identify new biomarkers for disease diagnostics and to pave the way for novel therapeutic approaches in tissue regeneration, cancer and inflammation.” Dr. Othmar Pfannes, CEO of Genedata, adds: “Genedata’s contributions to concrete scientific projects show that we are considered to be a valuable partner, not only on the technical, but also on the scientific side. HepatoSys is yet another long-term relationship that proves Genedata’s commitment to innovative systems biology applications”.