Full Press Release Details
Sciences, a Subsidiary of BioTime, Announces Release of GeneCards
ALAMEDA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--November 19, 2012--LifeMap Sciences,
Inc., a subsidiary of BioTime, Inc. (NYSE MKT: BTX), announced today the
release of GeneCards , Version 3.09, on November
18, 2012. The new release is available at www.genecards.org.
LifeMap Sciences holds the exclusive worldwide license to market GeneCards
from Yeda Research and Development Company Ltd., the commercial arm of
the Weizmann Institute of Science.
GeneCards is a comprehensive online database
that provides concise genomic information on all known and predicted
human genes. The recent GeneCards release
greatly enhances the representation of non-protein coding RNA genes
based, among other sources, on the ENCODE Project, an international
collaborative effort to identify all functional elements in the human
genome sequence. With over 12 million page visits per year from hundreds
of thousands of unique users worldwide, GeneCards
is accessed by professionals in academia, research hospitals, patent
offices, and leading biotech and pharma companies. GeneCards
was developed, and is continuously enhanced by ongoing research, by the
bioinformatics team at the Department of Molecular Genetics at the
Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, with principal investigator
Professor Doron Lancet, head of the Crown Human Genome Center, and team
leader Marilyn Safran.
The new GeneCards release includes more than
122,000 gene entries. One of the important enhancements is the revamped
normal tissue gene expression section, which now shows images for 16
tissues based on RNA-seq data of the Illumina BodyMap project, as well
as a greatly enhanced number of 80 tissues from BioGPS. Another key
enrichment is expression data in an anatomical and embryonic
developmental context, obtained from LifeMap Discovery , the
database of embryonic development, stem-cell research and regenerative
medicine. Also included are improved functionality for non-coding RNA
genes (multi-source overlap graphics, subcategories, and quality scores)
gene-associated diseases from MalaCards (http://malacards.org),
pathways from new sources and new gene-related research reagents.
"The significantly upscaled gene expression and non-coding RNA sectors,
as well as the new strong links to MalaCards and LifeMap
Discovery , are parts of our long-term research strategy, and bring
new discovery strength to GeneCards ," said
Professor Doron Lancet, Ph.D., The Ralph D. and Lois R. Silver Professor
of Human Genomics, at the Weizmann Institute of Science.
"Providing anatomical and developmental context, enriching disease
related information, and improving our gene expression data in GeneCards
are big steps forward for our platform," stated Yaron Guan-Golan, Head
of Marketing at LifeMap Sciences. "We are delighted to see the continued
improvement of GeneCards' features and content, the establishment
of MalaCards, and the inclusion of novel data from our upcoming LifeMap
DiscoveryTM database. The synergies between GeneCards ,
MalaCards and LifeMap DiscoveryTM will
significantly enhance basic research, and contribute greatly to the
discovery and development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic products
About LifeMap Sciences, Inc.
LifeMap Sciences' (www.lifemapsc.com) core technology and
business is based on its integrated database suite, the discovery
platform for biomedical and stem-cell research. This platform includes GeneCards ,
the leading human gene database; LifeMap Discovery , the
database of embryonic development, stem cell research and regenerative
medicine; and MalaCards, the human disease database. LifeMap
Sciences also markets PanDaTox, an innovative, recently
developed, searchable database that can aid in the discovery of new
antibiotics and biotechnologically beneficial products.
In addition to database offerings, BioTime plans to make LifeMap
Sciences BioTime's principal marketing subsidiary for research products,
including PureStem human progenitor cell lines, GMP human
embryonic stem (hES) cell lines, ESpan growth media for
progenitor cell lines, and cell differentiation media for
non-therapeutic uses, via its LifeMap BioReagents portal.
LifeMap Sciences will utilize its databases as part of its online
marketing strategy to reach life sciences researchers at biotech and
pharmaceutical companies and at academic institutions and research
hospitals worldwide.
In a therapeutic discovery collaboration with BioTime, LifeMap's
scientists utilize LifeMap's proprietary platform, including LifeMap
Discovery, its stem cell database along with the GeneCards and
MalaCards integrated database suite, to aid in the development of
BioTime's proprietary PureStem human progenitor cell
lines into products for the treatment of human diseases, especially
degenerative diseases that might be treatable with cell replacement
therapies. The LifeMap Discovery platform will be used to select
the progenitor cell lines that are most likely to be useful in
developing cell-based regenerative medicine therapies for a wide range
BioTime, headquartered in Alameda, California, is a biotechnology
company focused on regenerative medicine and blood plasma volume
expanders. Its broad platform of stem cell technologies is enhanced
through subsidiaries focused on specific fields of application. BioTime
develops and markets research products in the fields of stem cells and
regenerative medicine, including a wide array of proprietary PureStem
cell lines, HyStem hydrogels, culture media, and
differentiation kits. BioTime is developing Renevia (formerly
known as HyStem -Rx), a biocompatible,
implantable hyaluronan and collagen-based matrix for cell delivery in
human clinical applications. BioTime's therapeutic product development
strategy is pursued through subsidiaries that focus on specific organ
systems and related diseases for which there is a high unmet medical
need. BioTime's majority owned subsidiary Cell Cure Neurosciences Ltd.
is developing therapeutic products derived from stem cells for the
treatment of retinal and neural degenerative diseases. BioTime's
subsidiary OrthoCyte Corporation is developing therapeutic applications
of stem cells to treat orthopedic diseases and injuries. Another
subsidiary, OncoCyte Corporation, focuses on the diagnostic and