Global Genomics Group (G3), a life sciences company,  and Caprion Proteomics, Inc., the leading provider of proteomics and immune monitoring services to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, have entered into a collaboration agreement to investigate biological networks and pathways in order to discover novel biomarkers and pharmaceutical targets for cardiovascular diseases.

Under the terms of the agreement, Caprion will identify blood-based protein markers for the GLOBAL (Genetic LOci and Burden of Atherosclerotic Lesions) study. GLOBAL is the largest pan-omic study combining genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, lipidomics and lipoprotein proteomics with coronary computed tomographic (CT) angiography, an advanced imaging technology for phenotyping, which allows  precise disease classification of patients.

Szilard Voros,  chief executive officer and co-founder of G3, said,  "We will analyze 22 trillion data points from the precise CT phenotyping and the pan-omic analyses with specifically-developed systems and biology-based bioinformatics, allowing us to understand the root causes of cardiovascular disease and ultimately enable us to identify novel diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Caprion's unbiased and targeted mass spectrometry-based proteomic platform will provide an in-depth assessment of plasma proteins to complement the other 'omic' approaches we are using in the GLOBAL study."

Caprion will utilize its CellCarta technology, an industrialized proteomic platform designed for large-scale studies, which is comprised of sample preparation, mass spectrometry, bioinformatics and biological expertise, to analyse and measure differential expression of proteins in plasma samples from the patients enrolled in GLOBAL. The ability to monitor and quantify large numbers of proteins in complex samples is key to understanding and treating complex diseases such as cardiovascular disease.  Caprion's platform has successfully been deployed for the identification of novel biomarkers and drug targets in a wide range of diseases as well as to understand the mechanism and effect of novel therapeutics.

Martin LeBlanc, president and CEO of Caprion, commented, "Caprion is pleased to collaborate with G3, and we are proud to leverage our expertise in large-scale proteomics and personalized medicine to contribute to this landmark effort in such a clinically-relevant field."

GLOBAL is the largest pan-omic study combining genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, lipidomics and lipoprotein proteomics with coronary computed tomographic (CT) angiography, an advanced imaging technology for phenotyping, which allows the precise classification of disease in patients.

The ongoing GLOBAL study (ClincialTrials.gov Identifier NCT01738828) is an international, prospective, multi-center study recruiting up to 10,000 patients to characterize novel disease networks and biomarkers for coronary artery disease (CAD). The study is being funded by G3 and conducted together with strategic partner, Health Diagnostic Laboratory. Eligible patients undergo coronary CT angiography providing an accurate and detailed examination of the disease and disease status. This precision phenotyping is combined with a pan-omic analysis, and the data is then analyzed utilizing specifically developed systems biology-based bioinformatics technology for identification of diagnostic biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets.

G3 is a life sciences company investigating biological networks that lead to the development of disease to identify novel diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets.