Bioinformatics Solution Provider to Support High Throughput Molecular Data Analysis and Result Sharing across Kluyver’s European Academic and Industrial Research Sites

Basel, Switzerland — Genedata, a leading provider of advanced software solutions for drug discovery and life science research, today announced a five-year-extension of an ongoing collaboration with the Netherland’s Kluyver Centre, an industry and government consortium using microbial genomics to improve industrial fermentation processes. The Genedata Phylosopher® biological data management platform and the Genedata Expressionist® biomarker discovery platform will support central data storage and provide automated workflows to integrate transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomic data for the centre’s academic and industrial research partners.

“We are able to pool genomics expertise across the entire Kluyver Centre network using Genedata’s standardized and integrated informatics platform,” explained Prof. Han De Winde, business director of the Kluyver Centre. “Our research focuses on the development of a complete systems biology workflow, which is aimed at enhancing fermentation in yeast, filamentous fungi or lactic acid bacteria. It also involves sequencing, genome-wide functional studies as well as strain and process design. We needed a research informatics partner able to support our full workflow and Genedata solutions are a perfect fit.”

The Kluyver Centre, a private-public partnership between fermentation experts from industry and academia, focuses on the highly innovative industrial systems biotechnology sector and includes microbial genomics, metabolic engineering, and bio-transformation programs. Part of the Netherlands Genomics Initiative, the Kluyver Centre develops sustainable and environmentally friendly production methods through fermentation of renewable feedstock, feed and feed ingredients, pharmaceutical compounds, and nutraceuticals.

“We are routinely applying various high-throughput omics technologies and use Genedata software for making sense of the huge data volumes produced by these technologies,” said Prof. Jack Pronk, scientific director of the Kluyver Centre. “Another great advantage of the Genedata software is that it supports emerging technologies such as next generation sequencing for in-depth transcriptome analysis, which is used for gene model refinement and re-sequencing-guided optimization campaigns of industrial production strains.”

“We are proud to expand our collaboration with the Kluyver Centre, a world-class white/industrial biotechnology research consortium,” said Dr. Othmar Pfannes, CEO of Genedata. Genedata is involved in several research consortia, and has developed computational solutions tailored for multi-site research programs. “In particular, our computational solutions for systems biotechnology anticipate the evolving needs of research groups adopting this approach and we look forward to continuing to support growth in this exciting field,” added Dr. Pfannes.

About the Kluyver Centre

The Kluyver Centre for Genomics of Industrial Fermentation is a consortium of Delft University of Technology, the universities of Leiden, Utrecht and Groningen, Wageningen University, VU University of Amsterdam, TI Food and Nutrition and NIZO food research. It employs microbial genomics to improve microorganisms for use in industrial fermentation processes. Fermentation is used in the production, from renewable feedstocks, of food products and ingredients, beverages, pharmaceutical compounds, nutraceuticals, and fine and bulk chemicals. The research covers five research programmes: Yeast for chemicals, fuels and beverages; Filamentous fungi for proteins and peptides; Lactic acid bacteria for fermented foods and food ingredients; systems biology of industrial micro-organisms, and Industrial genomics for society. For more information about the Kluyver Centre, please visit: www.kluyvercentre.nl.

About Genedata

Genedata transforms data into intelligence with a portfolio of advanced software solutions for drug discovery and life science research, which spans target, lead and biomarker discovery. Used by a majority of the world’s top 50 pharmaceutical companies and leading research organizations, Genedata Phylosopher®, Genedata Screener®, Genedata Expressionist®, and Genedata Analyst™ make research data accessible and understandable, enabling scientific discovery that fights disease and improves health worldwide. Founded in 1997, Genedata is privately held, with headquarters in Basel, Switzerland, and offices in Japan, Germany and the US. www.genedata.com