Entelos, Inc, a leading life sciences company building predictive computer models of human physiology and "virtual patients" for drug discovery and development, announced that Pfizer, Inc. has signed an agreement with Entelos to expand and continue research using the Entelos Cardiovascular PhysioLab platform. The expanded research will focus on identifying biomarkers and interpretation of clinical study data. Financial terms are not disclosed.
The Entelos Cardiovascular PhysioLab platform is an innovative and predictive computer model that simulates patients and drug effects, and represents key biological mechanisms and disease processes that can help to explain the underlying causes of heart attacks, strokes, and other serious cardiovascular conditions in multiple patient types.
The platform mathematically represents the relative contribution of circulating lipids, systemic inflammation and local vessel inflammation to the progression of atherosclerosis, a key driver leading to heart disease. Simulations test the effects of specific therapies on "virtual patients" by computing changes in plaque geometry and composition that can then be used to predict the long-term risk of a major cardiovascular event for each patient type. The predictive capabilities of the platform have been rigorously validated by demonstrating consistency with a wide range of published clinical trial results.
Entelos has supported a variety of preclinical and clinical research in prior work conducted with Pfizer over multiple stages.
"We believe that our cardiovascular disease platform can help Pfizer gain even greater value from the tremendous amount of information available in their historical clinical trial databases," said James Karis, president and CEO, Entelos. "Rather than just 'data mining', our powerful, engineering-based, dynamic simulation models of human physiology can do a much better job of identifying which patients would benefit most from a specific treatment. More importantly, we can often explain why certain patients respond better than others, enabling not only better patient care, but helping to keep effective drugs on the market that are safe for a targeted subpopulation. We look forward to continuing our work with Pfizer and to conducting research on their highest priority projects in cardiovascular disease, cholesterol regulation, and atherosclerosis."
Entelos, Inc. a US-based life sciences company applying next-generation predictive technologies to revolutionize the way medicines are discovered, developed, and utilized. The Company leverages its proprietary in silico disease models, "virtual patients", and toxicology reference systems to develop safer and more effective drugs and support pharmaceutical R&D and commercialisation. In addition to internal drug programmes in rheumatoid arthritis and women's health, Entelos provides customized technology and research services to global pharmaceutical and health-care companies in cardiovascular diseases, asthma, obesity, diabetes, haematopoiesis (anaemia), cholesterol metabolism, and skin sensitisation.