MediSapiens Joins Research Project to Use Dog Genomics for The Purpose of Advancing Human Health

MediSapiens, a leading Finnish developer and provider of Bio-IT solutions for research and biomedicine, joins a newly established genomic research project focusing on comparing dog and human genomes to advance human health.

The project, established by professor Hannes Lohi at the University of Helsinki and professors Juha Kere and Carsten Daub at Karolinska Institute, aims to update the dog genome map and use this important information to model various diseases in humans.

“Following the advances of the Functional Annotation of Mammalian genome project (FANTOM), in which our colleagues at Karolinska Institute have been involved, our project will make a substantial contribution in updating the dog genetic map”, says project leader Hannes Lohi. “This will help to identify disease-associated genetic alterations and enable their efficient comparison with the human genome. The project also builds on substantial previous research and a large dog biobank, and supports other ongoing initiatives, such as the international 10,000 Dog Genomes Project.”

“We are excited about the important advances this project will make. We’re dedicated to participate in scientific initiatives which have the potential to make significant improvements in our understanding of health and disease, and eventually contribute to improvements in human healthcare. This project has the potential to make a vast impact”, says Henrik Edgren, CSO of MediSapiens. “We’re delighted to strengthen our long-term partnerships with both academic and industrial partners.”

MediSapiens will contribute in providing Bio-IT and bioinformatics expertise and software to help the consortium analyze and interpret dog genomic data, and in the functional annotation of known and newly discovered genes. Additional research partners, Genoscoper Oy and Mars Veterinary™, will also provide their support and expertise to the project. The four-year project has received a 1.5 million euro grant from the Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation as well as additional support from the research partners.

About MediSapiens
MediSapiens Ltd. is a Bio-IT and bioinformatics company specialized in pharmaceutical research and translational genomics, providing life science and biomedical companies and research organizations with tools that help them manage and interpret large genomic, biomedical and clinical data sets. Established in 2009 and based in Helsinki, Finland and Cambridge, Massachusetts, MediSapiens creates intuitive software platforms to manage, integrate, and visualize complex multi-dimensional datasets, such as genomic sequencing data.  The company's goal is to drive medicine forward by developing tools that provide scientists with a way to quickly analyze and visualize vast amounts of data and turn it into knowledge that fuels innovation. For further information, please visit http://www.medisapiens.com.

About Hannes Lohi Research Group
Hannes Lohi is a professor of molecular genetics at the University of Helsinki. Established in 2006, his group has worked with dog genomic research, focusing on disease-associated genes. Through partnerships with academic and industry partners, Professor Lohi’s Group has recently published findings on breed distribution of risk variants for canine hereditary disorders, based on genetic profiling of 7,000 dogs.

About Mars Veterinary
Mars Veterinary is a business unit of Mars Petcare, the U.S. operations of the world’s largest pet care company at the privately-held Mars, Incorporated. Its mission is facilitating responsible pet care by enhancing the well-being and relationship between pets, pet owners, breeders and veterinarians through valuable insights into pets as individuals. For nearly a decade, Mars Veterinary has researched and developed state-of-the-art genetic tests for mixed and purebred dogs, revolutionizing personalized pet care. For more information, visit www.wisdompanel.com.

About Genoscoper
Genoscoper Laboratories is a Finland-based animal diagnostics laboratory established in 1995. Its MyDogDNA testing concept helps explore inherited characteristics in dogs using the world's first genome-wide DNA analysis. The technology uses a comprehensive panel analysis to test for known mutations, and simultaneously records thousands of neutral chromosomal markers that can be used to measure genetic diversity and even locate new mutations associated with other genetic disorders. For further information, please visit www.genoscoper.com/en.

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