August 21, 2007 - Omicia Inc., a privately held company specializing in personalized genetic signatures for early detection of disease risk, has been awarded its fourth NIH grant, a $182,732 Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health, aiming to identify genes whose variants increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
This industry/academia collaboration is between Omicia and Johns Hopkins University (JHU).
"This project will give us the opportunity to apply the latest findings in genetic research to the challenging problem of figuring out the molecular causes of complex diseases," said Dr. Bader, who is an inventor on the patent for the new high-speed 454 DNA sequencing technology that was recently used to completely sequence the first individual human genome. "By combining our research group's experience in analyzing gene interactions with Omicia's cutting-edge gene selection infrastructure, we aim to significantly advance the understanding of the genetic basis of cardiovascular disease, paving the way towards the earliest possible diagnosis and the most appropriate therapeutic options."
For more information: http://www.omicia.com and www.jhu.edu