A bit dated but worth reading...
Genset Reinforces Its Obesity Program with the Creation of a New Physiological Genomics Department and Publishes First Gene Discovery Results.
PR Newswire, April 26, 1999
PARIS, April 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Genset (Nasdaq: GENXY; Nouveau Marche: GENSET) today announced the expansion of its genomics research activities at Genset Corporation in La Jolla, California with the establishment of the Department of Physiological Genomics led by Dr. Bernard Bihain. The primary objective of this department is to support Genset's gene discovery activities in obesity and metabolic disorders. The first results of this program will appear in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
Marc Vasseur, Chief Biology Officer of Genset, commented: "Genset's program in the field of obesity is its most advanced program not yet partnered with a pharmaceutical company. Under the dynamic leadership of Bernard, we have accumulated a strong patent portfolio related to a novel pathway associated with obesity. The potential worldwide market for obesity is estimated at $10 to $15 billion and we believe that these discoveries represent an exceptional opportunity for the company."
Genset started its obesity program with the objective of characterizing the metabolic pathway that causes the development of obesity and associated complications. This program focused initially on the mechanism that controls the distribution of dietary lipids absorbed by the intestine and relied on the methods of molecular physiology and genetics.
The initial work was conducted by Dr. Bihain and his team through a research collaboration agreement between Genset and INSERM (Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale or National Institute of Health and Medical Research). It led to the successful identification and joint patenting of a first gene, which encodes a lipolysis-stimulated receptor (LSR). INSERM has granted Genset an exclusive license worldwide to this joint patent for all applications. The LSR receptor is rate-limiting for the delivery of dietary lipids to the liver. The details of its molecular cloning are the subject of the upcoming Journal of Biological Chemistry publication.
Based on this early success, Genset decided to expand its internal program on obesity through the creation of a dedicated physiological genomics unit headed by Dr. Bihain. As part of this effort, Genset has established clinical collection programs involving hundreds of comprehensively phenotyped obese people and non-obese controls. Using these resources obtained from leading clinical centers in Europe, the Company has already identified a collection of polymorphic markers within the LSR gene and is undertaking large-scale association studies to discover and characterize other genes potentially involved in the obesity metabolic pathway. Progress in this area to date has resulted in the filing of four patent applications by Genset which cover genes and polymorphisms related to a new metabolic pathway that controls the removal of dietary lipids.
Dr. Bernard Bihain is a recognized expert in the field of the pathogenesis of metabolic diseases pertaining to lipid transport and its complications such as obesity, diabetes and atherosclerosis. Prior to joining Genset, he was, from 1994 to 1998, Director of the INSERM Unit 391 Laboratory of Nutrition, Lipoprotein Metabolism and Atherosclerosis. He earned his M.D. from the Free University of Brussels, Belgium, completed his postdoctoral research training at Columbia University in the Departments of Medicine and Pediatrics and became Assistant Professor of Physiology at the Louisiana State University Medical School in New Orleans. He has authored numerous publications and several patents.
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