Nantes (France), March, 22 2011 – TcLand Expression, a leading company focused on gene expression biomarkers in immunology and personalized medicine, today is pleased to announce its participation in the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) project “Be The CURE”. The consortium is coordinated by academic leaders Pr. Lars Klareskog from the Karolinska Institute and Pr. Tom Huizinga from Leiden University Medical Center, as well as by Dr Neil Gozzard, UCB Pharma SA, on behalf of the industrial partners. More than 20 prominent research groups across Europe, as well as industrial partners (AstraZeneca AB, Boehringer Ingelheim International GMBH, Bristol Myers Squibb EMEA sarl, CENTOCOR B.V., F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Merck, NovoNordisk A/S, Pfizer Limited, and UCB Pharma SA), will work together within the consortium to push forward the boundaries of knowledge in the field of Rheumatology.
TcLand Expression, the only SME partner within the consortium, will focus its efforts on “response to therapies”, a key area in which the company is already building expertise through its development of blood-based, transcriptional biomarkers for the prediction of response to biologics in rheumatoid arthritis.
“This is a unique opportunity for TcLand Expression to interact with renowned scientists and clinicians from academia and with the industry in the field of rheumatology. Joining forces in biomarkers and diagnostic development will promote personalized medicine into the clinic”, said Alessandra Cervino, VP of R&D and Biostatistics at TcLand Expression.
The early prediction of response to biologics is a major challenge in autoimmune diseases in general and in rheumatology in particular. This type of decision support will enable treatments to be matched to an individual patient’s disease status.
About Rheumatoid Arthritis
The chronic, progressive, debilitating auto-immune disease rheumatoid arthritis is a major public health concern and affects approximately 1% of the population worldwide. Despite significant progress in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis over the last 10 years, many patients remain partial responders and true remission is rarely achieved. A major goal in the field is prediction of response to treatment prior to initiating a new therapy, with a view to optimize patient care, reducing the risk of adverse effects or joint destruction and positively influencing overall healthcare costs.
About TcLand Expression
TcLand Expression is a recognized pioneer in the discovery, development and validation of gene expression biomarkers for unmet medical needs in immunology. The company benefits from an exceptional scientific and clinical environment. For more information, please visit our website: www.tcland-expression.com
The Innovative Medicines Initiative and the “Be The Cure project” The Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) is Europe’s largest public-private initiative aiming to speed up the development of better and safer medicines for patients. IMI supports collaborative research projects and builds networks of industrial and academic experts in order to boost pharmaceutical innovation in Europe. IMI is a joint undertaking between the European Union and the pharmaceutical industry association EFPIA. Be The Cure is an IMI funded project with 25 academic participants, 9 EFPIA participants and 1 SME and a budget of 38 M€. More information and the project summary can be found on the website at www.imi.europa.eu
Contact
Alain Huriez, CEO TcLand Expression SA +33 (0)2 40 35 89 99 / ahuriez@tcland-expression.com
Caroline Carmagnol ALIZE RP +33 (0)6 64 18 99 59 / caroline@alizerp.com Anne-Sophie Cosquéric + 33 (0) 1 42 68 86 41 / anne-sophie@alizerp.com
