American Diabetes Association and Entelos Broaden Access to Testing with "Virtual Mice"
For further information please contact:
Entelos, Inc.
James Karis, President and CEO
Jill Fujisaki, VP Investor Relations
Tel: +1 650 572 5400
American Diabetes Association
Diane Tuncer
Tel: +1 703 549 1500 ext. 5510 dtuncer@diabetes.org
Buchanan Communications
Lisa Baderoon / Mary-Jane Johnson
Tel +44 (0) 20 7466 5000
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ALEXANDRIA, VA and FOSTER CITY, CA (April 8, 2008) – The American Diabetes Association (ADA) and Entelos, Inc. (LSE: ENTL) announced today extending its in silico (computer simulation) diabetes research center capability and offering free access to Entelos’ Realab™ “virtual mice” testing platform to all ADA health professional members. Realab allows direct web access to Entelos’ state-of-the-art computer model of type 1 diabetes, enabling scientists and clinicians an unparalleled ability to investigate the onset, progression, and treatment of diabetes.
Using Realab, researchers can conduct simulations on drugs, drug combinations, dose levels, dosing regimens, therapeutic targets, biological pathways and functions on the primary animal model used to study type 1 diabetes. Realab’s virtual environments allow investigators to preview the likely effects of different therapeutic interventions, helping to inform the optimal design of lab experiments and clinical protocols.
The ADA and Entelos collaborated to develop the Type 1 Diabetes PhysioLab® platform, a large scale computer-based mathematical model of the non-obese diabetic (NOD) mouse, which is the simulation engine behind Realab for type 1 diabetes.
"There are now two ways that our members can benefit from Entelos’ cutting-edge simulation technology,” said Richard Kahn, Ph.D., chief scientific and medical officer, American Diabetes Association. ”The first is through the diabetes research center capability, which is available via a grant process. The second is through direct online access of Entelos’ Realab for type 1 diabetes research, which we are now pleased to offer for free to all ADA health professional members. We believe that this will not only accelerate adoption of this innovative approach, it will also make a big impact on finding new therapies for type 1 diabetes, which primarily affects children and young adults.”
"One of the greatest disappointments for the pharmaceutical industry is having experimental compounds that show early promise in animals that later fail miserably when tested in humans,” stated James Karis, president and CEO of Entelos. “In building our initial model of a ‘virtual mouse’, scientific teams at Entelos discovered subtle but important differences between species that can have a big impact on interpreting results of animal studies and on designing clinical trials. Our models and predictive platforms help to better translate results and design experiments to make animal studies more meaningful and relevant for finding effective medicines for patients. We plan to increase access to Entelos’ powerful simulation technology to enhance researchers’ capabilities to rapidly test ‘virtual mice’ and ‘virtual patients’ and ultimately use fewer animals, run more decisive clinical trials, and save time and money.”
Realab currently has a virtual environment available for type 1 diabetes. Environments for rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes are under development by Entelos. Details regarding Realab can be found at http://realab.entelos.com
Notes to Editors
About Realab™
Realab™ was developed by Entelos to provide scientists and clinicians with personalized web-based access to Entelos’ award-winning PhysioLab® technology and computer models of human and animal disease physiology. Realab’s virtual environments allow investigators to preview the likely effects of different therapeutic interventions in advance, helping to inform the optimal design of research and clinical protocols in the real world.
The Realab web-based tool facilitates the design and submission of experiments and clinical protocols. The investigator uses a menu system to select from available predefined options for each simulation analysis including drugs, drug combinations, dose levels, dosing regimens, therapeutic targets, biological pathways, functions, patient or animal phenotypes and sampling intervals.
Once a Realab protocol is submitted, simulation results are available in Realab within 24 hours for later analysis at the user’s convenience. Researchers can visualize the predicted outcome of the Realab protocol using graphs and other tools to investigate the underlying biological mechanisms responsible for each predicted outcome.
Realab currently has a virtual environment available for type 1 diabetes with predefined experiments, about a dozen therapies and 75 possible model outputs. Access to Realab simulations for non-ADA members can be purchased online or via purchase order.
About the Type 1 Diabetes PhysioLab Platform
The Entelos® Type 1 Diabetes PhysioLab® platform is a large-scale, mathematical model of the non-obese diabetic (NOD) mouse designed to support research in type 1 diabetes. The platform captures the physiology of pancreatic cell autoimmunity and tolerance from birth until disease onset. Virtual NOD mice are constructed using equations that mathematically represent cellular functions and biochemical interactions in tissues critical for the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes. The model encompasses two main tissues: pancreatic lymph nodes (PLN) and pancreatic islets. Antigen and antigen-presenting cells traffic from the islets to the PLN, and conversely, lymphocytes activated in the PLN can enter the blood and be recruited to the islets. Functions at the biochemical and cellular levels are integrated and the dynamic relationships over time quantitatively linked via mathematical equations, making simulation and prediction of biological outcomes possible.
About Entelos
Entelos, Inc. (www.entelos.com) is a US-based life sciences company applying next-generation predictive technologies to revolutionize the way medicines are discovered, developed, and utilized. The Company leverages its proprietary in silico disease models, “virtual patients”, and toxicology reference systems to develop safer and more effective drugs and support pharmaceutical R&D and commercialization. In addition to internal drug programs in rheumatoid arthritis and women's health, Entelos provides customized technology and research services to global pharmaceutical and health-care companies in cardiovascular diseases, asthma, obesity, diabetes, hematopoeisis (anemia), cholesterol metabolism, and skin sensitization. The Company is also developing a model in oncology and is collaborating with the FDA to build a model of drug-induced liver injury. Entelos also offers cost-effective drug development capabilities through its strategic alliance with India-based Jubilant Biosys Ltd.
About the American Diabetes Association
The American Diabetes Association (www.diabetes.org) is the nation’s premier voluntary health organization supporting diabetes research, information and advocacy. Founded in 1940, the Association has offices in every region of the country, providing services to hundreds of communities. The Association’s commitment to research is reflected through its scientific meetings; education and provider recognition programs; and its Research Foundation and Nationwide Research Program, which fund breakthrough studies looking into the cure, prevention, and treatment of diabetes and its complications. For more information, please visit www.diabetes.org or call 800-DIABETES (800-342-2383). Information from both these sources is available in English and Spanish.
