Woburn, MA, December 18, 2000
AlphaGene, Inc. has assembled a significant
inventory of more than 350,000 clones. Fifty-five
percent (55%) of these clones are derived from
neurological tissue and forms the basis for
AlphaGene's proprietary neurological research. The
inventory has been bioinformatically characterized
into druggable targets i.e., secretory proteins,
proteases, kinases and ion channels etc. Together
with AlphaGene's expertise in producing full-length
genes, the company believes it has a significant
opportunity to establish a major patent position.
In order to optimize the gene inventory focused in
the neurological arena, AlphaGene has expanded its
neurosciences group by adding Raul Krauss, Ph.D.,
neuroscientist, and Kulvinder Saini, Ph.D., a senior
molecular biologist to its neurobiology discovery
research team.
"The acquisition of these two key scientists
allows AlphaGene to accelerate our plan to optimize
our novel gene inventory and help define relevant
pathways in Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's and
Diabetic Neuropathy," stated Donald J.
McCarren, Ph.D., President and CEO of AlphaGene.
Dr. Raul Krauss, who has joined AlphaGene as
Director of Neurosciences, comes to the Company from
Genetics Institute, Inc. and Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Krauss obtained significant experience in the
biotechnology industry at Genetics Institute, where
his research focused on mechanisms of induction and
differentiation of neural stem cells and analysis of
gene expression, and led to the discovery of a
method to induce neuronal phenotypes of potential
therapeutic interest. In related work, he
contributed to the study of drug effects in vivo, in
a model of Parkinson's disease and developed methods
to culture primary neurons. He is the co-author of
numerous published research papers, and is the
author of a book chapter in Culturing Nerve
Cells the standard textbook in the field. Dr.
Krauss received his Ph.D. in Neurobiology from
Harvard University.
Dr. Kulvinder Saini joins AlphaGene from the Lahey
Clinic, where he was Senior Scientist at the
Laboratory of Cell and Molecular Biology. Dr. Saini,
who assumes the position of Senior Scientist at
AlphaGene, brings expertise in biochemistry and
molecular and cell biology, including the molecular
characterization of cancer, diabetes and obesity,
based on gene expression profiling and DNA
microarray development. Prior to his position at the
Lahey Clinic, he was a research fellow at Harvard
University and a post-doctoral fellow at Case
Western Reserve University, where he worked on the
molecular mechanisms underlying obesity. Dr. Saini,
who received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Metabolic
Regulation from the University of Sydney, has
authored numerous scientific papers focused on gene
regulation.
Dr. McCarren commented that, "AlphaGene is
committed to investing in neurobiology research, and
realizing the value of our proprietary gene
inventory of neurological clones. The addition of
Dr. Krauss' and Dr. Saini's expertise will be a
significant asset as we extend our research in gene
characterization to include gene function studies,
with the ultimate goal of identifying validated,
proprietary novel drug targets for neurological
diseases."
The Company has previously announced the
identification of two novel genes expressed at high
levels in Alzheimer Disease patient brains, but not
in brains from normal individuals. AlphaGene intends
to focus on finding unique and/or better potential
drug targets for neurodegenerative disorders,
including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease
and peripheral neuropathies.
Dr. Peter A. Schad, AlphaGene's Vice President and
Chief Scientific Officer, commented, "These two
scientists will provide the capability for
discovering gene functionality associated with a
large number of novel neurological genes. These
genes are not found within the public databases, but
have been identified using AlphaGene's proprietary
technologies."
About AlphaGene, Inc.
AlphaGene, Inc. (http://www.alphagene.com)
is a privately held functional genomics company
offering products and services to biotech and
pharmaceutical companies engaged in drug discovery and
development. AlphaGene uses its large inventory of
full-length cDNAs and Bioinformatics expertise to
bridge the gap between genomics and functional
proteomics. The company focuses on differential gene
expression in degenerative neurological diseases
including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's
Diseases.
