PORTLAND, Ore., Feb. 6, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Znomics, Inc. (OTCBB:ZNOM), a pioneer in the development of the zebrafish as a vertebrate genetic platform to accelerate drug discovery, today announced it has achieved mutations in 193 key genes, representing nearly 50 percent of the known "druggable" disease genes. The company expects that information derived from these disrupted genes and others from its ZeneMark(r) library of mutant fish lines will advance its search for new drug targets and new lead compounds for complex human diseases.
"Today we are launching our Human Disease Library," said David Ransom, Director of Genetics and Functional Genomics at Znomics. "Ultimately, this library, which is a subset of the ZeneMark library of zebrafish strains, will contain mutations in the majority of known human disease genes. These strains can be used to model complex human diseases in the zebrafish. Of the approximately 1,500 gene mutations known to cause disease in man, 368 occur in genes encoding druggable targets, such as receptors, enzymes and channels. The collection of strains in the Human Disease Library represents mutations in the zebrafish genes corresponding to more than half of human genes that are both disease genes and potentially druggable."
"This tool gives Znomics' scientists an ability to model a vast array of different human diseases," said Roger Cone, Chief Scientific Officer at Znomics. "The subset of druggable disease gene mutations will also give us a unique ability to validate novel drug targets and identify the unique drug site-of-action."
Another milestone reached by the company includes 14,000 separately archived sperm samples which contain more than 11,000 mutations in known zebrafish genes, roughly half of the genome. Zebrafish share 80% - 90% of the same genes as humans.
"The ZeneMark library is a remarkable achievement," said Jianxin Wang, Director of Bioinformatics at Znomics. "It has resulted from melding advanced biological science with informatics technology, integrating innovation and hard work both at the bench and at the computer. The library has invaluable utility for the study of gene functions and will ultimately speed up disease gene discoveries and the development of new, innovative drug compounds."