Open Biosystems is library of genes
Scientists can access firm's stash to help in disease research
Friday, March 17, 2006
The way Brian Pollock sees it, the biotechnology world is like a gold rush, with prospectors digging and searching for their fortunes in new medical discoveries.
Pollock, CEO of Open Biosystems, sees himself as the merchant on the sidelines, handing picks and shovels to those prospectors.
Open Biosystems, located in the Huntsville Biotechnology Center on Odyssey Drive, serves as a high-tech production and distribution center for synthetic DNA and other genetic research tools used at universities and other facilities around the world.
The company's latest program, Open Access RNAi, allows all research laboratories within an institution access to a library of RNAi, or ribonucleic acid interference plates, tailored to its research needs.
"We're the Library of Congress for genes," Pollock said.
Open Biosystems has the exclusive rights to distribute so-called "short hairpins" (because of their shape) RNAi, which are used to turn off selected genes. The library was developed by Greg Hannon of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York and Steve Elledge of Harvard University.
RNAi could help in research to fight Parkinson's disease, cancer and other illnesses. "It's very powerful," Pollock said.
When a researcher makes a discovery, the information must be published and validated by a research committee and his or her peers, Pollock said. Open Biosystems maintains and updates the libraries for customers.
"RNAi is so rapidly evolving, everyone wanting the library wants to know how to stay current," he said.
The company recently announced Northwestern University is the first university to buy an RNAi library. By becoming a client, Northwestern can distribute the library's data throughout its 270 research facilities, where scientists can share technology updates as they discover them.
Aside from gaining a prestigious customer, Open Biosystems will benefit from the deal by having its name mentioned in published reports of any new discoveries, Pollock said. "It's a great marketing tool," he said.
Founded just over three years ago, Open Biosystems has 52 employees and is one of three firms to occupy Huntsville Biotechnology Center. The company has 12 distributors around the world. Pollock declined to reveal annual revenue, but said sales "have doubled each year, and will over-double this year."
The company ships some 300 sets of DNA weekly, ranging from one small sample of about $100 to large orders "in the six figures," Pollock said. Germany, Japan and Taiwan are large markets, he said.
© 2006 The Huntsville Times
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