Oxford BioDynamics Plc (LONOBD) today announced that it has been chosen as an industrial partner in a Horizon 2020 international research and innovation collaboration. The initiative on “Predictive Epigenetics” (PEP-NET), which has been granted €4 million, brings together an international consortium of 11 leading epigenetic research centres and five partner organisations* to develop practical translation of epigenetic regulation into therapeutically actionable outcomes.
The PEP-NET consortium comprises experimentalists and theoreticians whose goal is to develop a joint predictive modelling framework to further the understanding of fundamental epigenetic mechanisms. The outcome will present real world applications for the development of new technologies, and diagnostic and therapeutic tools to benefit patients.
This will be an important opportunity for OBD to increase utilisation of its EpiSwitch™ platform and further develop its technology globally, while helping to improve understanding of epigenetic controls and mechanisms. As an industry partner in this initiative, all parties will have access to OBD’s intellectual property for research purposes only.
Consortium member Professor Leonie Ringrose, Institute of Biology, Humboldt University, Berlin, commented:
“Epigenetic mechanisms are profoundly implicated in human health and disease. Despite the availability of large amounts of molecular data sets today, the field is still far from a satisfactory mechanistic understanding of many epigenetic processes. This unique collaboration of frontline researchers and commercial companies aims to combine quantitative experiments, predictive theoretical models, new modeling of data analysis and latest industrial tools of detection and monitoring to understand epigenetic regulation, with the aim to achieve both deeper fundamental understanding and better practical translation of epigenetic regulation into actionable patient stratifications. We have seen the practical value of EpiSwitch™ and believe this powerful platform will allow us to develop real world solutions.
PEP-NET will train a generation of European researchers to combine quantitative experiments with predictive theoretical models, and will exploit this knowledge to answer both basic and applied questions in epigenetics.”
