NEW YORK, Oct. 19 – The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Advanced Technology Program has awarded RheoGene of Charlottesville, Va., a three-year, $2 million grant for gene-targeting technology, the company said.
RheoGene said it would use the funding to improve its gene-targeting technology, which is designed to allow researchers to insert and delete gene sequences in nuclear and mitochondrial genomes.
"Existing methods of gene targeting are very inefficient, with only about one cell in a million undergoing the desired alteration," Mohan Philip, RheoGene's chief scientific officer, said in a statement released Thursday.
"A precise and efficient process for correcting genetic mutations in experimental cell and animal models will enable scientists to better understand the basis of genetic diseases and lead to the development of new therapies," he said.
RheoGene has developed RheoSwitch, a gene expression technology that manipulates cell- signaling pathways to turn gene expression on and off and allow it to be dialed up and down. The technology can be applied in proteomics, functional genomics, systems biology, and bioinformatics.
The company has also developed RheoPlex, a multigene regulation system designed to enable the control of multiple genes in the same cell.