01.16.15
Alameda, Calif.-based LifeMap Sciences Inc., a subsidiary of BioTime Inc., has released Varelect, an application for prioritizing gene variants resulting from next generation sequencing (NGS) experiments. Varelect rapidly prioritizes gene variants according to their potential association to a disease or phenotype of interest, and can aid in identifying the roles of genes and their variants in biological processes, health, and disease.
NGS is a method for decoding the genome 100 times faster than the older Sanger technique, and it has facilitated better diagnostic techniques.
Varelect is part of LifeMap Sciences’ NGS platform, which also includes Geneanalytics, a gene set analysis tool. Both Varelect and Geneanalytics are part of the Genecards Plus suite, launched last year. The tools leverage the LifeMap integrated biomedical knowledgebase and discovery platform, which includes the human gene database Genecards; the human disease database Malacards; and LifeMap Discovery, the database of embryonic development, stem cell research, and regenerative medicine. LifeMap holds the exclusive worldwide license to market all of these technologies from Yeda Research and Development Company Ltd., the commercial arm of the Weizmann Institute of Science.
“We are delighted to see how our robust integrated data platform and Genecards advanced search capabilities gave birth to a new and highly effective gene variant prioritization tool that we and our companion groups use every day in our NGS decipherment endeavors,” said Doron Lancet, Ph.D., head of the Crown Human Genome Center at the Weizmann Institute of Science.
“We believe that Varelect will enable scientists worldwide to cost-effectively utilize unprecedented amounts of genetic data from whole exome and genome experiments,” stated David Warshawsky, Ph.D., CEO of LifeMap Sciences.
NGS is a method for decoding the genome 100 times faster than the older Sanger technique, and it has facilitated better diagnostic techniques.
Varelect is part of LifeMap Sciences’ NGS platform, which also includes Geneanalytics, a gene set analysis tool. Both Varelect and Geneanalytics are part of the Genecards Plus suite, launched last year. The tools leverage the LifeMap integrated biomedical knowledgebase and discovery platform, which includes the human gene database Genecards; the human disease database Malacards; and LifeMap Discovery, the database of embryonic development, stem cell research, and regenerative medicine. LifeMap holds the exclusive worldwide license to market all of these technologies from Yeda Research and Development Company Ltd., the commercial arm of the Weizmann Institute of Science.
“We are delighted to see how our robust integrated data platform and Genecards advanced search capabilities gave birth to a new and highly effective gene variant prioritization tool that we and our companion groups use every day in our NGS decipherment endeavors,” said Doron Lancet, Ph.D., head of the Crown Human Genome Center at the Weizmann Institute of Science.
“We believe that Varelect will enable scientists worldwide to cost-effectively utilize unprecedented amounts of genetic data from whole exome and genome experiments,” stated David Warshawsky, Ph.D., CEO of LifeMap Sciences.