MINNEAPOLIS and PLYMOUTH, Minn., July 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Pairnomix, LLC, a personalized genetic evaluations company, and StemoniX today announced a new strategic partnership. The partnership will combine Pairnomix's expertise in epilepsy modeling with StemoniX's proprietary microBrain® technology to create a new in vitro seizure-in-a-dish model system.
Human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) systems are increasingly sought after for their abilities to create more faithful replications of human biology than other simple cell models. This need is increasingly more apparent in research and drug development efforts for epilepsy, a complex and often multi-factorial condition. Together, Pairnomix and StemoniX are co-innovating to develop a novel human cellular model of epilepsy that leverages StemoniX's iPSC-based microBrain technology, a pre-plated, assay-ready high throughput platform containing mature, functional neural cells that mimic native human brain tissue. The original microBrain model is composed of human iPSC-derived neural cells containing populations of glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons and astrocytes.
A key feature of the new model system is the ability to induce seizure-like electrical activity at the network level. This sophisticated design captures functional neuronal circuitry and allows for the detection of subtle pharmacological effects against seizure-like activity that might otherwise be difficult to measure in a more complex cellular environment. This system creates a platform that is amendable to high throughput drug screening to discover new anti-seizure medications.
"We are excited to bring our microBrain platform to the field of epilepsy research with Pairnomix, knowing their expertise will advance our ability to build a valuable research vehicle," said Ping Yeh, CEO of StemoniX. "This partnership creates new opportunities for our personalized genetic evaluation approach to help patients today and expands our ability to find meaningful therapies to help people in the epilepsy community," added Matthew Fox, CEO of Pairnomix.
About Pairnomix
Pairnomix™, a personalized genetic evaluations company, is committed to helping people living with rare diseases understand the genetic cause of their condition and explore potential treatment options that are available today. Pairnomix' initial focus is on advancing personalized research for people living with epilepsy and other disorders of the Central Nervous System. To learn more, please visit www.pairnomix.com.
About StemoniX
StemoniX® is transforming how medicine is discovered. By using skin or blood to create functioning microHearts® and microBrains®, StemoniX is making it possible to test medication on humans without that medication ever entering their bodies. This method of drug testing will speed up the search for new cures and enable the ability to test drug effectiveness on an individual person, so medicine works correctly the first time. Learn more at stemonix.com.
SOURCE Pairnomix, LLC
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