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Press ReleasesGenstruct Identifies Molecular Targets that Inform the Development of a New Estée Lauder Skin Care ProductDr. Gil Blander’s Paper on Skin Care Research Published in the Journal of Investigative DermatologyCambridge, Mass. — October 1, 2008 — Genstruct Inc., a systems biology company focused on identifying molecular mechanisms, networks and biomarkers to better develop novel therapeutics and molecular diagnostics, today announced the publication of a paper authored by Gil Blander, Ph.D. et al, titled “SIRT1 Promotes Differentiation of Normal Human Keratinocytes” in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology. This research, led by Genstruct scientists and supported in part through an Estée Lauder fellowship, resulted from a collaboration between Genstruct, Estée Lauder and scientists from MIT. These results have important implications for better understanding the mechanisms involved in the maintenance of healthy skin and in skin diseases characterized by hyperproliferation and underdifferentiation, such as psoriasis. Estée Lauder’s ReNutriv Ultimate Youth Crème, which contains Resveratrate™, a more stabilized, time-released version of Resveratrol, was inspired, in part, upon these findings. “This project represents the full cycle of systems biology, from experiment design, execution, data collection hypothesis generation and model validation,” said Dr. Joseph Loureiro, senior and co-corresponding author of the article and R&D project leader at Genstruct. “Using our Causal Network™ Modeling (CNM) Platform, we were able to identify the mechanisms controlled by SIRT1 in skin cells, and that can be regulated by Resveratrol. This is the biology that Estée Lauder was most interested in understanding more clearly.” “Our Causal Network models identified the mechanisms for SIRT1 in keratinocytes, and we then validated the models results in the lab,” explained Dr. Blander. “Using large –omic data sets to develop comprehensive causal models enables our scientists to rapidly develop novel biological hypotheses, and then we can go to the lab to test and validate them.” Genstruct’s Causal Network Modeling identified molecular mechanisms for Sirt1 using data from two key experiments. One over-expressed SIRT1 in primary keratinocytes and the other knocked-down endogenous SIRT1 in primary keratinocytes. Genstruct’s CNM Platform correctly identified the molecular networks regulated by SIRT1, and these predictions were verified in the lab. “This study is important because it extends the reach of sirtuins to include the regulation of skin maintenance,” said Dr. Leonard Guarente, Novartis professor of biology at MIT. In addition to Drs. Blander and Loureiro, contributing authors included: Drs. Keith O. Elliston and Christian Reich of Genstruct; Anupama Bhimavarapu and Dr. Guarente of MIT and Drs. Mary S. Matsui, Thomas Mammone and Daniel Maes from Estée Lauder. About Genstruct Founded in 2002, Genstruct is a systems biology company focused on elucidating the complexity of biology for the development of safe and effective therapeutics and molecular diagnostics. By developing Causal Network™ models for complex biological systems, Genstruct develops a deep molecular understanding of diseases and drug action, and designs mechanistic biomarkers and molecular diagnostics to facilitate drug development and personalized medicine. Genstruct’s Consulting Services division engages in short-, mid- and long-term partnerships with top tier pharmaceutical and life sciences companies, to develop new therapeutics and mechanistic biomarkers in the areas of oncology, metabolic disorders, cardiovascular diseases and inflammation. Genstruct was awarded the Bio-IT World 2008 Best Practices Award in the Drug Discovery & Development category for its joint collaboration with Sirtris Pharmaceuticals (a GSK company). Genstruct is a privately held company based in Cambridge, Mass. For more information, please visit www.genstruct.com. Contact: Karen Higgins A & E Communications for Genstruct (610) 831-5723 khiggins@aandecomm.com Return to Press Releases |
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