Atherosclerosis is the underlying cause of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) accounting for 50% of all mortality in industrialized countries. Large pharmaceutical companies of today frequently suffer huge loses from failures in the late stages of new candidate compound evaluation. Moreover, there are no reliable predictive diagnostics for CVD resulting in late diagnosis not seldom manifested by heart infarction or stroke. Furthermore, there are no atherosclerosis drugs as of today that targets the disease itself instead there are indirect treatments such as those against high blood lipids and blood pressure. 

Clinical Gene Networks (CGN) has developed an integrated proprietary experimental, computational and clinical technology platform using a system biological approach. CGN has compiled the largest human gene expression database, the AtheroCode, of well-characterized patients suffering severe atherosclerosis. The AtheroCode also includes gene expression data from model system of atherosclerosis enabling studies of atherosclerosis progression and regression.

CGN business models are based on integrating the AtheroCode with in-house developed algorithms. First using our cell-based model systems of atherosclerosis CGN will improve CVD-drug and lead evaluation.  Secondly, by applying novel machine-learning techniques CGN identifies biomarkers for CVD-related disease paving the way for predictive CVD-diagnostics. Finally, based on our recent discovery - that atherosclerosis progression is governed in regulatory networks – CGN is in a position to identify highly validated drug targets setting the stage for developing the first generation of drugs specifically targeting atherosclerosis.