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Cyclacel and MRC geneservice set to distribute Drosophila RNAi set
October 07, 2003Cyclacel Limited, the UK-based biopharmaceutical company, announced today that it had entered into an agreement with MRC geneservice for the distribution of its proprietary Drosophila RNA interference (RNAi) collection. This agreement will allow access for MRC geneservice's academic and commercial clients to the Cyclacel collection, for gene identification and validation purposes.
The Cyclacel Drosophila RNAi set covers some 13,605 genes defined in the FlyBase Drosophila genome database. The set was produced by Cyclacel's PolgenÃ' Division during a programme to identify novel genes involved in mitosis. Cyclacel scientists are currently validating the genes identified in the screen and assessing their suitability as drug targets. These will be either exploited by Cyclacel through its proven rational drug design capabilities or may be outlicensed to biotechnology or pharmaceutical partners as potential druggable candidates.
Dr Graham Bell General Manager of the Polgen Division said "We have established an efficient automated high throughput screening system to very quickly knockout each gene in the Drosophila genome in a highly specific manner. Cyclacel's initial focus on screening for mitotic genes has identified over 100 potential targets for cancer therapy. Genes involved in specific functions and therapeutic areas can be identified using appropriate screens. We are currently seeking partners who are interested in using this validated system to form highly productive research collaborations."
MRC geneservice, a commercially focused resource centre within the Medical Research Council, will distribute the Cyclacel RNAi set worldwide. Aliquots of PCR products spanning the entire gene collection and from which dsRNA can be derived will be available first, but MRC geneservice also intends to produce and distribute dsRNA that can be used directly in gene knock-down experiments. The Drosophila resource represents the second "whole-genome" RNAi product for MRC geneservice, the first being a Caenorhabditis elegans RNAi library that has been successfully distributed to many laboratories over the world and has led to many important published discoveries.
Dr Tom Weaver, Chief Executive of MRC geneservice said "We welcome this partnership with Cyclacel since it provides unrestricted access to an invaluable resource for both academic and commercial research communities. The RNAi enabling technology will enhance their discovery programs through the systematic screening of gene function in a proven model organism. RNA interference libraries are a good example of the type of resource that we are encouraging our research partners to develop and make accessible, since we feel that they will play an increasingly vital role in biological research over the coming years."
ScienceSources
MRC geneservice, a commercially focused resource centre within the Medical Research Council, will distribute the Cyclacel RNAi set worldwide. Aliquots of PCR products spanning the entire gene collection and from which dsRNA can be derived will be available first, but MRC geneservice also intends to produce and distribute dsRNA that can be used directly in gene knock-down experiments. The Drosophila resource represents the second "whole-genome" RNAi product for MRC geneservice, the first being a Caenorhabditis elegans RNAi library that has been successfully distributed to many laboratories over the world and has led to many important published discoveries.
Dr Tom Weaver, Chief Executive of MRC geneservice said "We welcome this partnership with Cyclacel since it provides unrestricted access to an invaluable resource for both academic and commercial research communities. The RNAi enabling technology will enhance their discovery programs through the systematic screening of gene function in a proven model organism. RNA interference libraries are a good example of the type of resource that we are encouraging our research partners to develop and make accessible, since we feel that they will play an increasingly vital role in biological research over the coming years."
ScienceSources
Genome Current Events and Genome News RSSTime of day matters to thirsty trees, U of T researcher discovers
The time of day matters to forest trees dealing with drought, according to a new paper produced by a research team led by Professor Malcolm Campbell, University of Toronto Scarborough's vice-principal for research and colleagues in the department of cell and systems biology at the St. George campus.
Genetic analysis helps dissect molecular basis of cardiovascular disease
Using highly precise measurements of plasma lipoprotein concentrations determined by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), researchers led by Daniel Chasman at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA, the Framingham Heart Study in Framingham, and the PROCARDIS consortium in Stockholm, Sweden and Oxford, England performed genetic association analysis across the whole genome among 17,296 women of European ancestry from the Women's Genome Health Study.
Gene mismatch influences success of bone marrow transplants
A commonly inherited gene deletion can increase the likelihood of immune complications following bone marrow transplantation, an international team of researchers reports in the November 22 advance online issue of Nature Genetics.
Scientists at UA, collaborating institutions decode maize genome
Scientists from the University of Arizona led by Arizona Genomics Institute director Rod A. Wing and from collaborating institutions have deciphered the complete genetic code of the maize plant for the first time.
Ancestry attracts, but love is blind
People preferentially marry those with similar ancestry, but their decisions are not necessarily based on hair, eye or skin colour.
WPI Researchers Take Aim at Hard-to-Treat Fungal Infections
A team of researchers at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) Life Sciences and Bioengineering Center at Gateway Park has developed a new model system to study fungal infections.
Technique finds gene regulatory sites without knowledge of regulators
A new statistical technique developed by researchers at the University of Illinois allows scientists to scan a genome for specific gene-regulatory regions without requiring prior knowledge of the relevant transcription factors.
Causative gene of a rare disorder discovered by sequencing only protein-coding regions of genome
For the first time, scientists have successfully used a method called exome sequencing to quickly discover a previously unknown gene responsible for a mendelian disorder.
New research into the mechanisms of gene regulation
A team led by Penn State's Ross Hardison, T. Ming Chu Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, has taken a large step toward unraveling how regulatory proteins control the production of gene products during development and growth.
Maize cell wall genes identified, giving boost to biofuel research
Purdue University scientists have helped identify and group the genes thought to be responsible for cell wall development in maize, an effort that expands their ability to discover ways to produce the biomass best suited for biofuels production.
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