Gene Hunting in Canada

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The initial Genizon map, completed in 2004, was created from 1,500 members of the Quebec founder population and had about 81,000 markers. Genizon has now improved its gene hunting capabilities even further, by using a gene chip produced by Illumina, a genetic toolkit company in California, which incorporates markers from both the HapMap and original Quebec map, for a total of more than 350,000 markers per individual. Studies that initially took scientists three months now take just a week, says John Hooper, president and chief executive officer Genizon.

To uncover genetic variants that increase risk for a disease, scientists start with DNA from patients and use the gene chips to sift through the markers, searching for particular variants that appear more frequently in people with the disease. Once scientists have identified genes of interest, they create a map of the interacting genes.

"That gives us a picture of the biochemical pathways involved in the disease," says Tim Keith, chief scientific officer at Genizon. "We can compile all the mechanisms that lead to development of the disease, which allows you to look at the best point of intervention for new therapeutics."

Genizon has already made such maps for psoriasis, a chronic skin disease, and Crohn's disease (an inflammatory bowel disease). Their analysis confirmed some biochemical pathways know to be involved in Crohn's disease, such as inflammation. But it also identified some unexpected biochemical players that might give new insight into the roots of the disease.

"We identified new pathways that could potentially lead to a paradigm shift in drug development," says Hooper. Because Genizon is seeking patents on these targets, Hooper declined to elaborate on the new targets.

The company is quickly moving down its list of diseases. Scientists have already completed preliminary analysis on the gene hunt for baldness, schizophrenia, and longevity, and are gearing up to do studies on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Type II diabetes, osteoporosis, and macular degeneration.

Stay tuned for a Q&A with Kari Stefansson, CEO of deCODE, later this week.

Home page image courtesy of Genizon BioSciences.