LifeSpan BioSciences to provide Merck with access to GPCR localization database

As a subscriber to the GPCR database, Merck will receive access to localization data on GPCR targets, which will be added to the database continually over the next twelve months.



As a subscriber to the GPCR database, Merck will receive access to localization data on GPCR targets, which will be added to the database continually over the next twelve months. Merck intends to use the database to identify and validate new gene targets for drug discovery.

G protein-coupled receptors are a large family of cell-surface molecules that act as cellular receptors for many biologically active compounds and pharmaceuticals, including major drugs. Access to detailed information included in this database on the expression and localization of these genes in normal and diseased tissues can provide users with a greater insight into their function and potential value as new drug targets.

GPCRs are an important class of molecules, and LifeSpan's molecular pathology technology will help Merck make critical decisions about which genes to target in their drug discovery efforts, said Joseph Brown, President and CEO of LifeSpan BioSciences.

LifeSpan uses specific antibodies together with its bank of normal and pathological tissue specimens to measure expression of GPCRs in a wide range of normal and diseased tissues. The results are then interpreted by LifeSpan's in-house pathologists and used to construct a relational database. This database contains detailed information on GPCR expression in each cell type for the tissues and diseases studied along with high-resolution digital images.

As a consequence of the genomics revolution, our customers find themselves swimming in a sea of genes, said Glenna Burmer, LifeSpan's CSO. Our molecular pathology approach provides the next generation of information that allows then to prioritize the best potential drug targets from among the many candidates that are identified by high-throughput sequencing and gene chips.