PARIS, April 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Genset, S.A. (Nasdaq: GENXY; Euroclear: 5433), provided today an update on its intellectual property portfolio covering Genset's proprietary drug target discovery platform, and targets it has identified in the field of Central Nervous System (CNS) disorders. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued U.S. patent No. 6,291,182 related to methods, algorithms and software for identifying regions of the genome that contain a gene associated with any detectable trait. Genset also announced that it has received an allowance for a patent application relating to the g72 gene, a new entry point for the treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The discovery of the g72 gene was made possible in part by applying the technology covered by patent No. 6,291,182. The g72 work was conducted as part of Genset's collaboration with Janssen Pharmaceutica, N.V., a division of Johnson & Johnson, Inc., which has an exclusive license to this gene. Genset retains rights to further research conducted outside this collaboration, and namely to other genes discovered in the metabolic pathway of g72.
Claims for patent No. 6,291,182 are the first to cover biostatistical methods for confirming that a candidate genomic region harbors a gene associated with a detectable trait based on the frequency of SNP combinations known as haplotypes. Many researchers now consider haplotypes to be superior for the discovery of disease-related genes when compared to individual SNPs.
Prof. Daniel Cohen, Genset's Director General of Scientific Strategy and a co-inventor of the patents, commented: ``The technique covered by this new patent allows researchers to compare the frequency of haplotypes in candidate regions of the genome versus a non-candidate or random region. We believe this technique will be key to deciphering the gene networks involved in complex multigenic traits.'' Prof. Cohen continued: ``The technique developed at Genset and covered by the issued patent is highly valuable for our on-going target discovery programs in CNS and metabolic disorders, and can also be used to discover genes involved in the onset of any number of other pathological conditions.''
Using its integrated genomics technologies, Genset pinpointed the precise location of a novel gene named g72. Genset's researchers established the association of g72 with schizophrenia through extensive genotyping and advanced biostatistical analysis. This association was then confirmed in a separate population using an additional, well-characterized clinical collection from schizophrenic cases and controls. Genset's discovery of this gene has revealed a novel biochemical pathway with new potential targets for drug discovery. Andre Pernet, Ph.D., President & Chief Executive Officer of Genset, commented: ``The g72 gene is only one of the several promising discoveries in the field of CNS disorders our researchers are working on. With Genset's experience in genetic association studies and powerful technological platform, we are confident that our efforts will continue to be successful in generating other targets for the development of new drugs acting on causative mechanisms in humans.''
About Genset: Genset is a genomics-based pharmaceutical company focused on generating a pipeline of drug targets and drug candidates in the areas of CNS and metabolic disorders. Genset has successfully used its integrated technology platform and association studies approach to identify and characterize drug targets and drug response markers in the fields of CNS, metabolic and other diseases. Building upon the expertise accumulated in various alliances with pharmaceutical partners and its portfolio of genomic patents, Genset discovers and validates novel drug targets and candidates for its own account. Its teams have already discovered and launched the development of a lead protein candidate in the metabolism field named Famoxin, and are continuing their research with a view to discovering and developing other drugs.
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