Paris, France, May 27, 2010 - Genomic Vision, a biotechnology company dedicated to DNA analysis with an innovative molecular combing nanotechnology, today announced the appointments of Erwan Martin as Chief Financial Officer and Emmanuel Conseiller PhD as Vice President, Research and Development.
Genomic Vision is developing a genetic test to improve the diagnosis of the facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) - a programme for which the company recently received €250,000 in funding from the French Muscular Dystrophy (AFM). FSHD is the third most prevalent type of muscular dystrophy and affects between 1 in 10,000 and 1 in 20,000 people. Current methods for FSHD diagnosis are complicated to perform and difficult to interpret and sometimes provide inconclusive results. Genomic Vision’s test is based on molecular combing technology, which enables the direct visualization of individual DNA molecules in order to detect quantitative and qualitative genome variations and establish their roles in the disease process. Genomic Vision holds an exclusive license from the Pasteur Institute for this technology, which constitutes a true breakthrough in the detection of this serious disease.
“We are delighted to welcome Erwan Martin and Emmanuel Conseiller to Genomic Vision. Both have many years of experience, gained at high-profile companies. Erwan’s arrival will enable us to accelerate our business’s growth and ensure its financial sustainability through additional fundraising. The AFM funding constitutes a first step in driving forward our development programmes”, commented Aaron Bensimon, PhD, founder and CEO of Genomic Vision.
Prior to joining Genomic Vision, Erwan Martin served as CFO and an Executive Board Member at Cytomics Pharmaceuticals (2003-2008), a biopharmaceutical company he co-founded with Dominique Thomas (Research Director at the CNRS Centre for Molecular Genetics, Gif-sur-Yvette) and for which he led the first rounds of financing. Erwan Martin previously worked for 10 years (1993-2003) as a consultant for Syndex, an auditing firm. Between 1995 and 2005, he taught financial analysis, management control and Anglo-Saxon accounting at the University of Marne la Vallée. Erwan Martin graduated from ESC Toulouse and also holds an MBA from the prestigious Warwick Business School (United Kingdom).
“Turning to Emmanuel, his role will be to lead Genomic Vision’s R&D policy and forge collaborations with academic labs, research institutes and industrial partners. It is clear that his many years of experience at sanofi-aventis will benefit greatly Genomic Vision,” added Aaron Bensimon.
Emmanuel Conseiller PhD joined Genomic Vision in October 2009 after working for over 17 years (1992-2009) as a senior manager at sanofi-aventis (primarily within the Oncology Division). He is a pioneer in the application of functional genomics to drug discovery (from drug target screening to clinical trials) and has designed and led several projects for drug screening (small molecules and gene therapy) in the fields of tumour suppression, DNA replication and tumour metabolism. Emmanuel Conseiller holds a PhD from Pierre and Marie Curie University, Paris. In 1997, he won the Rhone-Poulenc Rorer Research Prize for his work on the development of chimeric tumour suppressors for gene therapy of cancer. In 2007, he published the results of an innovative pharmacogenomics study (as part of a clinical trial) in the prestigious Journal of Clinical Oncology (the official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology).
About Genomic Vision
Genomic Vision is a Paris-based biotech company which develops novel diagnostic and drug discovery solutions for cancer and acute diseases. It uses molecular combing - a powerful, cutting-edge, nanotech DNA analysis technique - to directly visualize single DNA molecules, detect quantitative and qualitative changes in the genome landscape and establish their contributions to the disease process. Genomic Vision has been granted an exclusive license to the molecular combing technology by the Pasteur Institute.
Genomic Vision is focusing on three key areas:
- diagnostics: the discovery of genomic biomarkers and the development of genetic diagnostic tests.
- drug development: the company’s Combing Replication Assay is used to test the efficacy of lead compounds by studying DNA replication in proliferating cancer cells.
- the research tool market: the company is providing academic research laboratories with molecular combing platforms for use as discovery engines in the field of cytogenetics, oncogenetics and DNA replication.
Genomic Vision’s corporate headquarters and life science research facilities are located at the Pasteur Institute, Paris, France. The company collaborates with a network of leading researchers and clinicians. Genomic Vision has raised €10 million in equity funding since its incorporation in 2004. For more information, please visit http://www.genomicvision.com.
About molecular combing
Molecular combing was co-invented by Dr Aaron Bensimon. It involves the direct visualization of single DNA molecules attached to specially treated glass surfaces and considerably improves the genome-wide structural and functional analysis of DNA. In the molecular combing process, the DNA fibres are irreversibly attached, stretched and uniformly aligned in parallel over the entire glass surface. It is therefore possible to identify genome anomalies or localize genes or particular genetic sequences that hybridize to specific probes designed according to the Genomic Vision’s proprietary, patented Genomic Morse Code strategy.
The molecular combing technology is capable of single-pass, high-resolution analysis of the entire genome and clearly visualizes genomic anomalies that often cannot be detected by today’s conventional technologies.
