Thanks to its over 12 years experience, Skuldtech has acquired expertise on gene expression (transcriptome) through high throughput sequencing, through quantitative RT-PCR, or by bioinformatics analysis. Hence, the company has developped proprietary bioinformatics programs and database for analyzing sequencing data, but also for identifying new targets in drug repurposing.

 

 

Digital Gene Expression

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Skuldtech offers its 12 years of expertise and know-how in genomics, in digital gene expression (SAGE-like method), and in open system technology and its Bioinformatics software for gene profiling acquisition and genomic data analysis. Skuldtech’s tools, based on new (high throughput) sequencing technologies, can be used for rapidly constructing large sequence data sets. The services proposed by Skuldtech provide the necessary read output for these high throughput technologies in the aim of revolutionizing genetics and biomedical research. Over the past decade, a dramatic change has taken place in relation to our understanding of the eukaryotic transcriptional complexity scale. This change will be a challenge for future health problems and will provide the knowledge required to solve them. Transcriptome annotation using Skuldtech’s tools will be the first step for using genomics in daily medical practices.

Gene Expression by quantitative RT-PCR

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Regarding the range of molecular biology and genetic technologies available in the field of Life Sciences, including Modern Medicine, Veterinary Science, Food-stuff, Agriculture, etc., the need for performing quantitative analyses of genes or DNA sequences has dramatically increased.
Skuldtech has gained tremendous experience in quantitative RT-PCR analysis.
In a high throughput routine, Skuldtech uses real-time PCR for monitoring global patterns of gene expression.
Real-time PCR provides an absolute quantitative analysis of gene expression and a rapid and precise confirmation of genetic changes.
Skuldtech’s expertise is focused on Real-time PCR because this technique:

1. Is the most sensitive technique for mRNA detection and quantification currently available.
2. Can be used to quantify mRNA levels from much smaller samples.
3. Gives more accurate measurements and is much better adapted to analyses performed on large numbers of samples.
4. Has been successfully developed and has become a reliable and easy to use standard method for the detection and/or quantification of nucleic acid sequences.
5. Reduces hands-on time and increases reliability.
6. Has been adopted for a wide range of new applications.

Bioinformatics for gene expression

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Except for some particular cases which are now well-known, most recent medical improvements and studies have underlined that diseases and physiological adaptations are not linked to a single genetic modification occurring in a specific manner, but to complex routes associated with genetic networks, which interact with each other.
Understanding the complex interactions occurring between genetic networks is the key challenge to be met in the medical field over the next decade. In this aim, scientists worldwide have gathered an impressive amount of medical and biological data which need to be closely connected in order to provide a comprehensive overview of diseases. This comprehensive overview of medical disorders will enable to improve treatments within the field of Personalized Medicine and will help to design new drugs or treatments for serious diseases with significant unmet medical needs.
At the same time, high-performance computing applications have increasingly adopted new architecture–based servers. However, new sequencing technologies, producing DNA sequences, have also made huge progress. Today, these new high throughput sequencing systems provide a considerable amount of data which have to be processed by a high-performance computer.
Skuldtech develops private Bioinformatics platforms dedicated to genomic analysis and to the implementation of these data in pathways and clinical routes.

 

 

Bioinformatics for sequencing data

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Regarding the expansion of high throughput sequencing methods such as Roche-454 (GsFlx), Illumina (1G sequencer) or Applied (SOLID), new tools are now available and they offer efficient approaches for rapidly sequencing DNA. As a result, generating sequencing data becomes very easy.
Therefore, Bioinformatics are fully required for analyzing the results generated by the aforementioned high throughput systems, including Sequence analysis, Gene annotation, Computational evolutionary biology, Measuring biodiversity, Analysis of regulation, Analysis of protein expression, Analysis of mutation in cancer, etc.
Within the quest for the $1,000 Human Genome, Skuldtech’s Bioinformatics platform will be a key tool for comparing each patient with known data regarding medical disorders.
Skuldtech’s private Bioinformatics platform is especially focused on genomic data management. This platform is based on ten years of experience gained through the association of computational experts and biological experts.
Skuldtech’s private Bioinformatics platform uses a fast processing speed and a large memory to rapidly assess very large databases and process acquired information.

Drug repurposing

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Marketing new drugs is time-consuming and very expensive. Skuldtech has increased its efforts to screen existing drugs for new uses or therapeutic applications. This concerns failed drugs as well as drugs already present on market. The genomic information developed by means of Skuldtech’s bioinformatics database of biological drug targets will contribute to identifying other diseases for which a drug may be used.

In collaboration with Aureus Sciences, Skuldtech has integrated a wide pharmacology and chemical compound knowledge database into its repurposing platform. This database is based on a detailed and exhaustive list of chemical compounds that have been published or patented and the associated information concerning in vivo and in vitro biological activities. This database includes main target families such as membrane receptors, G protein coupled receptors (GPCR), Kinases, Ion Channels, etc.

Based on the association of genomic and pharmacological knowledge and databases, Skuldtech is capable of repurposing the following drugs for new applications:

1. Property drugs
2. Old drugs
3. Disrupted drugs
4. Drugs that have become public property
5. Drugs that have not achieved their primary clinical endpoint
6. Generic drugs
7. etc.

This unique repurposing platform enables therapeutic modifications thanks to which Skuldtech’s biopharmaceutical sponsors can:

1. Reduce costs (e.g.: investments are 10 more times profitable than for Blockbuster business).
2. Reduce risks (e.g.: low risk of adverse toxicity and side effects).
3. Maintain their exclusivity (ex: patents can be obtained for new uses).
4. …

Therefore, Skuldtech’s drug repurposing platform enhances the business of drug delivery sponsors as it provides the following advantages:

1. Low investments leading to high returns on equity.
2. Rapid marketing within control costs.
3. Reduced failure risks.

The method developed by Skuldtech is used for directly confirming drug targets and recognizing drug-dependent changes in gene expression, that are modulated via routes which differ from the drug’s intended target. This approach for drug target validation and the identification of secondary drug target effects is based on genome-wide gene expression patterns.