ExonHit at the forefront of ASD project
ExonHit Therapeutics, from Paris, France, the alternative RNA splicing based drug discovery company, has joined with a number of high profile European research centres to start the Alternative Splicing Database (ASD) project.
ExonHit Therapeutics, from Paris, France, the alternative RNA splicing based drug discovery company, has joined with a number of high profile European research centres to start the Alternative Splicing Database (ASD) project.
This new project is a major European initiative in the post-genomics field and highlights the importance of alternative RNA splicing, the mechanism that enables the cell to generate several distinct proteins from a single gene. The ASD project, which is funded under the Fifth Framework Programme, aims to build a unique human database of all the alternatively spliced genes to develop new diagnostics tools for major human diseases such as cancer, neurodegeneration and infertility.
'Recent studies have show that alternative RNA splicing impacts on at least 60% of human genes and defects in alternative splicing are increasingly recognised as the cause of many human diseases. The growing recognition of the role of alternative splicing is a key factor driving the European ASD project which we believe will make a major contribution in the post-genomics area', commented Dr Laurent Bracco, executive vp Technology, ExonHit Therapeutics. 'We are very pleased to be a member of this European initiative which we believe will provide a better understanding of the importance of alternative splicing, our core scientific field of interest. Since an increasing number of alternative variants associated with pathologies have been described in the literature, now is an ideal time to exploit these data to develop novel diagnostic tools', he added.
The European ASD project will run for three years and brings together seven members from five European associated countries with complementary expertise and know-how. The consortium includes biologists involved in data collection and chip optimisation and design, as well as computer scientists working on data mining and user-friendly data interfaces.
As part as the ASD project, the data on alternative exons from human, mouse, drosophila and rat that have already been published in peer-reviewed journals will be collected and integrated into a user-friendly computer database. This will provide an ideal workbench for researchers and clinicians to access disease relevant information. In addition, the ASD consortium will develop DNA microarrays that contain cDNAs of all the splicing regulatory proteins and their isoforms, as well as chips that incorporate a number of disease relevant genomic signatures for cancer, neurodegeration and infertility. These chips will then be used to test an individual's predisposition and to diagnose such diseases.
Dr Stefan Stamm, coordinator of the ASD project, Institute of Biochemistry, University Erlangen-Nurenberg, Germany, said: 'I am very pleased to be coordinating this exciting Pan-European project which brings together experts from different scientific disciplines. Not only will the ASD project allow us to investigate alternatively spliced variants associated with human diseases, but it will also enable study of the pathological changes of factors regulating alternative splicing. This is of great importance in order to maximise the value of the large scientific initiatives such as the human genome and proteome projects.'
Members of the ASD consortium are:
Dr Stefan Stamm, University of Erlangen-Nurenberg, Germany
Dr Peer Bork, European Molecular Biological Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany Dr Roderic Guigo, IMIM, Barcelona, Spain
Dr Olivier Cochet, ExonHit Therapeutics, France
Dr Hermona Soreq, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
Dr Alphonse Thanaraj Thangavel, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL), Hinxton, United Kingdom
Dr Juan Valcarcel, ICREA and Centre de Regulacio Gen²mica, Barcelona, Spain
Education plan
As part of ExonHit Therapeutics' on-going educational programme on the disease relevance of alternative splicing, the company is co-hosting Splicing 2003 with the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute. Splicing 2003 is a one-day symposium, which will focus on state of the art concepts and mechanisms of alternative RNA splicing, with leading scientists providing insight on the impact of alternative splicing in the onset and progression of diseases. More details about Splicing 2003 can be found on the web-site