REYKJAVIK, Iceland--Roche of Basel, Switzerland, has licensed DeCode's new GeneMiner bioinformatics software to accelerate its DNA analysis. GeneMiner, which can either be used in a web browser or as a stand-alone application, is a Java-based program that uses homology analysis, cross-species homology searching using the mouse genome for comparison, and structural information querying for gene finding. Roche scientists will use the software to find disease-relevant genes more rapidly in internal programs, helping to find new targets for the development of better therapeutic and diagnostic approaches.
In other news, DeCode has identified a locus on chromosome 2p13 that contains a gene that is linked to pre-eclampsia in women--a condition that is indicated in an estimated 3-7 percent of pregnancies worldwide and is a major cause of infant and maternal mortality. The study, conducted jointly with the National University Hospital of Iceland, appears in the September issue of Human Molecular Genetics.