Genedata and the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS) have entered into a collaboration in gene expression analysis for cancer research. As part of the agreement, the NCCS has licensed the Expressionist system for the analysis of microarrays.

The Genedata platform enables scientists at the NCCS to make the best use of the vast amount of data derived from high-density microarrays and other sources. Researchers at the NCCS will work on the identification of minimal sets of diagnostic marker genes for classifying tissues and different cancer types into subclasses. Expressionist will also be used to identify the function of genes involved in tumor development and progression, understand the biological processes that are critical for tumor progression, and characterize oncogenic signal transduction pathways.

Dr. Patrick Tan, Principal Scientist at the Division of Cellular and Molecular Research, states: "It will only be possible to develop commercially viable diagnostic tests that physicians can routinely use if we can minimize the complexity of such diagnostic tests by focusing on the most relevant marker genes. Genedata offers with its Expressionist platform a comprehensive system that addresses the most critical issues in diagnostics based on gene expression profiling, namely quality control, data standardization, and sophisticated biostatistical analysis."

"We look very much forward to work with scientists at the NCCS on problems related to cancer diagnostics. It is our strategy to work closely with our customers on the development of application-specific solutions in areas such as chemical genomics, toxicogenomics, clinical genomics, etc. This kind of user-driven development enables us to continuously design systems and solutions that address the most pressing needs of researchers in the field," adds Dr. Reinhard Doelz, Expressionist Project Leader at Genedata.

As a pioneer in functional-genomics-based drug discovery, Genedata recognized the importance of developing enterprise-wide computational solutions that enable a deeper biological understanding of diseases and the evaluation of small molecules with therapeutic potential. Genedata has developed an integrated computational platform that addresses all major fields in the modern drug discovery process, including approaches based on functional genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics.