Overview

Variagenics Inc. is a fully integrated pharmacogenomics company identifying variances in genes that affect drug action. The company applies this information to the discovery and development of drugs and diagnostic products.

Using a drug pathway approach, the company identifies therapeutically important genetic markers, including single nucleotide polymorphisms and haplotypes. It focuses on a range of therapeutics areas, including cancer, central nervous system disorders, cardiovascular disease and inflammatory disorders.

Variagenics provides both products and services. The Variagenic ProSNP database is a collection of SNP, haplotype and other genetic variability data specific to pharmacogenomics. The Variagenic Impact Program is a family of technologies that discover and characterize genetic markers for incorporation into tests predictive of drug response. The NuCleave genotyping/haplotyping analysis platform is a DNA analysis platform designed to handle genotyping and haplotyping analyses required for clinical trials.

Another key component of the company’s technology platform is Variagenic Targeting, a process geared to finding cancer drugs that exploits the fact that many cancers contain only one copy of a gene essential for survival (loss of heterozygosity).

Partners

Variagenics has formed strategic alliances with contract research organizations, life sciences companies and academic institutions. It has collaborated with Amgen Inc., Nanogen Inc., Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc., Covance Inc., Nova Molecular Inc., Quintiles Transnational Corp. and Waters Technologies Corp.