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Zora Biosciences commercializes VTT's biotechnology expertise
14.06.2007
VTT Technical Research Center of Finland has spun-off Zora Biosciences Oy, the only company in the Nordic countries to offer metabolomics services to drug developers. Zora also develops biomarkers, which, for example, make it possible to detect early signs of cardiovascular disease.
VTT Technical Research Center of Finland has launched a spin-off company, Zora
Biosciences Oy. “Zora’s speciality field of metabolomics is a major driver of
biomedical and pharmaceutical research”, says Matej Orešič, founder and
chairman of the board.
Zora’s business model is two-fold.
Zora will provide sophisticated laboratory services to pharmaceutical industry
in the area of metabolomics and associated bioinformatics. Also, based on this
advanced laboratory expertise Zora will develop prognostic and diagnostic
biomarkers for human diseases as well as drug safety and efficacy monitoring.
Zora
will aggressively expand its biomarker portfolio for licensing the discoveries
to laboratory assay providers. At present, Zora’s biomarker portfolio includes
a promising discovery for screening patients susceptible to side effects of
statins, which are powerful cholesterol lowering drugs. Statin medication is
used by millions world-wide as part of their treatment regimen for
cardiovascular diseases. Zora is also developing prognostic and diagnostics
tools for improved healthcare management of diabetes and coronary artery
disease among other indication areas.
Zora is funded by
VTT, Slovenian private investor Gomar D.D., and Seedcap II Ky, managed by
Innofinance Oy. “Zora has strong potential for rapid business growth and
internationalization, which has attracted a committed investor base for the
company”, says Reini Hurme, Zora CEO. Globally there is only a handful of
companies specializing in metabolomics, in the Nordic countries Zora is the
only one.
Zora Biosciences Oy
Zora
Biosciences offers advanced laboratory services for the needs of the
pharmaceutical industry in the fields of metabolomics and bioinformatics.
Based on this advanced laboratory competence, Zora also develops prognostic
and diagnostic biomarkers for disease diagnosis and monitoring of the efficacy
and safety of drugs.
Further information: http://www.zora.fi