ParAllele Press Release

ParAllele Enters Collaboration to Study Genetics of Heart Disease

In this Novartis funded study, ParAllele will utilize its proprietary Mismatch Repair Detection (MRD) technology to comprehensively discover novel Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) in, candidate genes selected by Novartis. These SNPs will be profiled across a large population of coronary artery disease patients and matched control samples to identify associations between SNPs and the disease. Novartis will utilize these markers in drug discovery and ParAllele will retain rights for diagnostic applications. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

"We are pleased to collaborate with Novartis in order to discover to the key risk factors and causative mutations for coronary artery disease", said Nick Naclerio, Ph.D., ParAllele's President and CEO. "We hope our results will translate into earlier detection and better treatment options for this most common form of heart disease."

ParAllele has developed a suite of powerful multiplexed assays for discovering and scoring genetic markers, known as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). With ParAllele's proprietary SNP discovery approach, it is possible to uncover all of the common and rare variants present in a given patient population at a small fraction of the costs associated with conventional resequencing approaches. ParAllele's SNP discovery technology typically result in two to three times more validated SNPs than are found in public or private databases, thus increasing the comprehensiveness of a given study. Genetic variation among drug targets or genes in a disease pathway can result in variability in disease prognosis, drug response and the incidence of side effects.

About ParAllele Bioscience

ParAllele BioScience, Inc. is accelerating healthcare breakthroughs by providing comprehensive genetic discovery solutions to the life science research, pharmaceutical and diagnostic sectors.  The company’s products and services utilize a multiplexed approach that leverages novel biochemical processes rather than complex instrumentation to discover and analyze minute variations in the human genome.  The understanding of how subtle genetic variations contribute to disease risk, prognosis and drug response will lead to new and more effective drugs, predictive diagnosis, and the ability to better tailor therapies to individual patients.

Headquartered in South San Francisco California, ParAllele BioScience was founded by a team of leading researchers from the Stanford Genome Technology Center and Uppsala University. The company’s investors include Abingworth Management, Index Ventures, Mohr Davidow Ventures and Versant Ventures.  For more information about ParAllele, please visit the company’s website at parallelebio.com.