LifeMap Sciences, a Subsidiary of BioTime, Announces Partnership with Appistry
Agreement will integrate critical sources of genetic and disease
information into Appistry’s next-generation sequencing (“NGS”) reports
for clinicians
ALAMEDA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr. 23, 2013--
LifeMap Sciences, Inc., a subsidiary of BioTime, Inc. (NYSE MKT:BTX),
announced today a collaborative partnership and value-added reseller
agreement with Appistry, Inc., which provides big-data computing that
supports life-science and medical analytics at hospitals and medical
research centers and organizations. The intent of the partnership is to
integrate LifeMap’s GeneCards® and MalaCards
databases of human genes and diseases into the DNA and RNA sequence
analysis outputs and reports produced by Appistry’s leading-edge Ayrris™
computing environment. Appistry will market reports that include the GeneCards®
and MalaCards data to clinicians and researchers under a revenue
share arrangement with LifeMap, based on sales of such reports.
Current U.S. annual spending on genetic testing and molecular
diagnostics according to a UnitedHealthcare 2012 report (http://www.unitedhealthgroup.com/~/media/UHG/PDF/2012/UNH-Working-Paper-7.ashx
) is at least $3-$4 billion annually. Today’s healthcare eco-system is
increasingly dependent on genetic testing and molecular diagnostics,
particularly as the advent of next-generation sequencing (NGS)
technologies have enabled a substantial reduction in the costs
associated with gene sequencing, enabling rapid sequencing of the DNA of
individual patients. Labs and hospitals cite analysis of NGS data as a
primary bottleneck to leveraging genetic information to better diagnose
disease, assess treatment options, and develop the targeted therapies
that will enable personalized medicine, an expanding field in which
medical decisions, practices, and therapeutic products are being
tailored to the individual patient based on their own genes.
Appistry’s Ayrris™ computing environment supports the rapid assembly of
complex, data-intensive analytics that run a customer’s choice of
open-source, commercial, and proprietary tools at scale without
requiring specialized expertise in high-performance computing or a
complex software development effort. Under the partnership, Appistry
will deliver access to data from LifeMap’s GeneCards®
and MalaCards databases within the pipeline results and
personalized medicine reports provided by its Ayrris™ life science
solutions and services. GeneCards®, the human gene
compendium, provides concise genomic information on all known and
predicted human genes, including gene-disease associations, variants and
single nucleotide polymorphisms, gene function and other fields of
interest. MalaCards, the human disease database, contains
information relating to a wide array of human diseases and the roles of
genes in disease processes. LifeMap Sciences holds the exclusive
worldwide license to market GeneCards® and MalaCards
from Yeda Research and Development Company Ltd., the commercial arm of
the Weizmann Institute of Science.
“One of the biggest limitations on using next-generation sequencing in
clinical settings is the ability to effectively translate raw sequence
data into medically meaningful results,” said Kevin Haar, CEO of
Appistry. “To realize the promise of personalized medicine,
organizations need to scale their bioinformatics pipelines to handle
thousands of patient cases, while also providing information physicians
can act on. Our partnership with LifeMap enables medical researchers to
extend their analytic processes to deliver a better understanding of the
biological pathways and disease states associated with genetic samples.”
“We expect LifeMap Sciences to be the leading source of gene and disease
information for clinicians and patients in the rapidly growing fields of
molecular diagnostics, prevention and personalized medicine,” said David
Warshawsky, Ph.D., CEO of LifeMap. “The combination of GeneCards®
and MalaCards comprehensive gene and disease related knowledge
with the end-to-end NGS analysis workflow offered by Appistry will
greatly enhance the potential for improved diagnosis, prevention, and
treatment of devastating conditions.”
About Appistry
Appistry (www.appistry.com)
orchestrates solutions to big data problems, and since 2001, the
company’s fabric technology has empowered organizations and researchers
to transform vast data into actionable intelligence. Appistry weaves
together high-performance computing and analytics to provide the
throughput and scale required for diverse applications—from discovering
new medical therapies to delivering overnight packages, gaining clarity
from financial transactions, or deciphering military satellite images.
In 2012, Appistry was selected by the Broad Institute as the exclusive
distributor of the GATK for use in for-profit settings.
About LifeMap Sciences, Inc.
LifeMap Sciences’ (www.lifemapsc.com)
core technology and business is based on its integrated database suite,
the discovery platform for biomedical and stem cell research. This
platform includes GeneCards®, the leading human gene
database; LifeMap Discovery™, the database of embryonic
development, stem cell research and regenerative medicine; and MalaCards,
the human disease database. According to Google Analytics, the sites
have generated more than 2,000,000 unique visitors with more than
13,000,000 page views in the past 12 months. LifeMap Sciences also
markets PanDaTox, an innovative, recently developed, searchable
database that can aid in the discovery of new antibiotics and
biotechnologically beneficial products.
In addition to database offerings, LifeMap Sciences is BioTime’s
principal marketing subsidiary for research products, including PureStem™
human progenitor cell lines, GMP human embryonic stem (hES) cell lines, ESpan™
growth media for progenitor cell lines, and cell differentiation media
for non-therapeutic uses, via its LifeMap BioReagents™ portal.
LifeMap Sciences utilizes its databases as part of its online marketing
strategy to reach life sciences researchers at biotech and
pharmaceutical companies and at academic institutions and research
hospitals worldwide.
In a therapeutic discovery collaboration with BioTime, LifeMap’s
scientists utilize LifeMap’s proprietary platform, including LifeMap
Discovery™, its stem cell database along with the GeneCards®
and MalaCards integrated database suite, to aid in the
development of BioTime’s proprietary PureStem™ human progenitor
cell lines into products for the treatment of human diseases, especially
degenerative diseases that might be treatable with cell replacement
therapies. The LifeMap Discovery™ platform will be used to select
the progenitor cell lines that are most likely to be useful in
developing cell-based regenerative medicine therapies for a wide range
of diseases.
About BioTime, Inc.
BioTime, headquartered in Alameda, California, is a biotechnology
company focused on regenerative medicine and blood plasma volume
expanders. Its broad platform of stem cell technologies is enhanced
through subsidiaries focused on specific fields of application. BioTime
develops and markets research products in the fields of stem cells and
regenerative medicine, including a wide array of proprietary PureStem™
cell lines, HyStem® hydrogels, culture media, and
differentiation kits. BioTime is developing Renevia™ (formerly
known as HyStem®-Rx), a biocompatible,
implantable hyaluronan and collagen-based matrix for cell delivery in
human clinical applications. BioTime's therapeutic product development
strategy is pursued through subsidiaries that focus on specific organ
systems and related diseases for which there is a high unmet medical
need. BioTime's majority owned subsidiary Cell Cure Neurosciences Ltd.
is developing therapeutic products derived from stem cells for the
treatment of retinal and neural degenerative diseases. BioTime's
subsidiary OrthoCyte Corporation is developing therapeutic applications
of stem cells to treat orthopedic diseases and injuries. Another
subsidiary, OncoCyte Corporation, focuses on the diagnostic and
therapeutic applications of stem cell technology in cancer, including
the diagnostic product PanC-Dx™ currently being developed for the
detection of cancer in blood samples. ReCyte Therapeutics, Inc. is
developing applications of BioTime's proprietary induced pluripotent
stem cell technology to reverse the developmental aging of human cells
to treat cardiovascular and blood cell diseases. BioTime's subsidiary
LifeMap Sciences, Inc. markets GeneCards®, the leading
human gene database, as part of an integrated database suite that also
includes the LifeMap Discovery™ database of embryonic
development, stem cell research and regenerative medicine, and MalaCards,
the human disease database. LifeMap Sciences also markets BioTime
research products and PanDaTox, an innovative, recently
developed, searchable database that can aid in the discovery of new
antibiotics and biotechnologically beneficial products. Asterias
Biotherapeutics, Inc. is a new subsidiary being used to acquire the stem
cell assets of Geron Corporation, including patents and other
intellectual property, biological materials, reagents and equipment for
the development of new therapeutic products for regenerative medicine.
BioTime's lead product, Hextend®, is a blood plasma
volume expander manufactured and distributed in the U.S. by Hospira,
Inc. and in South Korea by CJ CheilJedang Corporation under exclusive
licensing agreements. Additional information about BioTime can be found
on the web at www.biotimeinc.com.
About the Weizmann Institute of Science and GeneCards
The Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, is one of the
world's top-ranking multidisciplinary research institutions. Noted for
its wide-ranging exploration of the natural and exact sciences, the
Institute is home to 2,700 scientists, postdoctoral fellows, Ph.D. and
M.Sc. students, and scientific, technical and administrative staff. In
addition, visiting scientists and their families – over 500 from 35
countries in 2010 are regularly hosted at the Institute. The Institute
was founded in 1934 following a donation to Dr. Chaim Weizmann, a noted
biochemist and biotechnologist, who envisioned the establishment of a
world-class scientific research center in Israel, and later also became
the first President of the State of Israel. Weizmann Institute’s
Feinberg Graduate School was established in 1958, where about 1000 M.Sc.
and Ph.D. students are enrolled in studies covering the Institute’s 18
departments, which are grouped into five faculties: Biochemistry,
Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics and Computer Science. The
Institute’s technology transfer arm, Yeda Research and Development Co.
was the first company of its kind in Israel, and is currently one of the
most successful worldwide. Institute research efforts include the search
for new ways of fighting disease and hunger, examining leading questions
in mathematics and computer science, probing the physics of matter and
the universe, creating novel materials and developing new strategies for
protecting the environment. Particular excellence in bioinformatics and
systems biology is manifested, among others, in the GeneCards project,
initiated in 1996, under the leadership of Prof. Doron Lancet of the
Dept. of Molecular Genetics, Head of the Crown Human Genome Center. A
team of 10 led by Marilyn Safran continuously innovates and keeps
GeneCards as a world-top human gene compendium, automatically mining and
integrating 100 worldwide web resources.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements pertaining to future financial and/or operating results,
future growth in research, technology, clinical development, and
potential opportunities for BioTime and its subsidiaries, along with
other statements about the future expectations, beliefs, goals, plans,
or prospects expressed by management constitute forward-looking
statements. Any statements that are not historical fact (including, but
not limited to statements that contain words such as "will," "believes,"
"plans," "anticipates," "expects," "estimates") should also be
considered to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements
involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, risks
inherent in the development and/or commercialization of potential
products, uncertainty in the results of clinical trials or regulatory
approvals, need and ability to obtain future capital, and maintenance of
intellectual property rights. Actual results may differ materially from
the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements and as such
should be evaluated together with the many uncertainties that affect the
business of BioTime and its subsidiaries, particularly those mentioned
in the cautionary statements found in BioTime's Securities and Exchange
Commission filings. BioTime disclaims any intent or obligation to update
these forward-looking statements.
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Source: LifeMap Sciences, Inc.
BioTime, Inc.
Peter Garcia, 510-521-3390, ext 367
Chief
Financial Officer
pgarcia@biotimemail.com
Judith
Segall, 510-521-3390, ext 301
jsegall@biotimemail.com
or
LifeMap
Sciences, Inc.
Kenneth Elsner, 781-826-7719
COO
ke@lifemapsc.com
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