# Persomics

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Multinational Life science company

Persomics Type Private Industry Drug discovery Founder Neil Emans [1]

**Persomics** is a private [life science](/source/Life_science) company specializing in [genetic research](/source/Genetic_research), with locations in [Boston, MA](/source/Boston%2C_MA), [Cupertino, CA](/source/Cupertino%2C_CA), and [Gothenburg, Sweden](/source/Gothenburg%2C_Sweden). The company’s aim is to simplify and expedite the process of discovering the basis of [disease](/source/Disease), and it has established a particular [phenotypic screening](/source/Phenotypic_screening) kit that it uses for this purpose. These kits facilitate the interrogation of thousands of [genes](/source/Genes) in parallel, and therefore pertain to [human genome](/source/Human_genome), [pharmaceutical](/source/Pharmaceutical) and [disease model](/source/Disease_model) research.

## Technology

By 2013 the [drug discovery](/source/Drug_discovery) market had begun shifting from the single to the [multi-target](/source/Biological_target) paradigm, of which Persomics’ technology is a part. Prior to that time, popular [drug discovery](/source/Drug_discovery) efforts focused on identifying single drugs that fit into specific cellular targets; this came to be known as target-based screening (i.e. [reverse pharmacology](/source/Reverse_pharmacology)). The [multi-target](/source/Biological_target) approach entails the understanding that, although one [drug compound](/source/Biological_activity) might fit into a single target, diseases are associated with complex biological processes, and often multiple cellular targets, which are more difficult to unlock.[1] Today [phenotypic screening](/source/Phenotypic_screening) is enjoying a significant resurgence as part of the portfolio of [drug discovery](/source/Drug_discovery) strategies leveraged at most companies.[2] This is because [phenotypic screening](/source/Phenotypic_screening) products (such as those offered by Persomics) offer a potentially revolutionary approach to discerning multiple cellular targets as the basis for genetic disease.

[Phenotypic screening](/source/Phenotypic_screening) can lead to the identification of a [molecule](/source/Molecule) that modifies an organism or disease [phenotype](/source/Phenotype); it does this by acting on a previously unknown target or by acting simultaneously on more than one target.[3] Phenotypic screening is therefore a method utilized in perceiving [gene expression](/source/Gene_expression). This is of importance to human health because [eukaryotic cells](/source/Eukaryotic_cells) (e.g. human cells) have many sophisticated ways of controlling [gene expression](/source/Gene_expression). One of those ways is through the agency of [siRNAs](/source/SiRNA).[4] By directing [gene silencing](/source/Gene_silencing), [siRNAs](/source/Small_interfering_RNA) act as [RNA interference](/source/RNAi), effectively inhibiting the expression of a gene in question. Since the time that the human genome was sequenced, the [siRNAs](/source/SiRNA) correlating to each gene have been synthesized by various companies. The use of [siRNAs](/source/SiRNA) therefore facilitates research into the [human genome](/source/Human_genome) by allowing for selective suppression of specific genes of interest. Persomics produces a ready-made experiment kit in which any of these [siRNAs](/source/SiRNA) can be contained. The kit contains the company’s plates, which can hold approximately 3,000 spots of sub-millimeter-sized [siRNAs](/source/SiRNA); these can be specified by the researcher requesting the kit. The experiment allows investigators to conduct multiple experiments (up to 3,000 per plate) of different [libraries](/source/DNA_library).[5] A researcher is therefore able to discern and validate several things: the ways in which [genes](/source/Genes) are regulated, the specific mechanisms of biological [signaling pathways](/source/Signaling_pathways), and the multiple cellular targets, and various [genes](/source/Genes) manipulated as a result of the [disease](/source/Disease). The approach used by the company is a variation in the efficiency and scale of [phenotypic screening](/source/Phenotypic_screening).

## Applications

There are several [multi-target](/source/Biological_target) approaches to drug discovery, among them that are used by Persomics. [Multi-target](/source/Biological_target) alternatives to Persomics’ technology include [drug repositioning](/source/Drug_repositioning), [polypharmacy](/source/Polypharmacy), [high-throughput screening](/source/High-throughput_screening) and [chemogenomics](/source/Chemogenomics). While these research approaches have proved effective in helping scientists learn more about the [human genome](/source/Human_genome), the majority of the genome is still not understood. This is because approaches pertaining to [phenotypic screening](/source/Phenotypic_screening) have traditionally been expensive and time-consuming. The company embodies a [reverse transfection](/source/Reverse_transfection) approach to phenotypic screening; this “is essentially a simplified version of what is currently done in [multi-well plates](/source/Microtiter_plate)”[5] such as those used in both [in vivo](/source/In_vivo) and [in vitro](/source/In_vitro) [high-throughput screening](/source/High-throughput_screening). As with this method, visualizing Persomics’ plates is made possible through the use of [fluorescent dyes](/source/Fluorescent_dyes). In addition, visualization entails [fluorescence microscopy](/source/Fluorescence_microscopy), which is a powerful tool used for observing cellular responses and mechanisms.[6]

## History

Persomics was founded in 2014, when it established itself as part of the Gatehouse Park biohub in Waltham, [Massachusetts](/source/Massachusetts), which also houses [AstraZeneca](/source/AstraZeneca). In 2007, after many years of research pertaining to cures for [infectious diseases](/source/Infectious_diseases) at the [Council for Scientific and Industrial Research](/source/Council_for_Scientific_and_Industrial_Research) (CSIR) in [Pretoria](/source/Pretoria), [South Africa](/source/South_Africa), Persomics made its decision to be based in the greater [Boston](/source/Boston) area[5] which “continues to remain the hub of life-saving scientific research”.[7]

## See also

- [Drug discovery](/source/Drug_discovery)

- [Gene editing](/source/Genome_editing)

- [Personalized medicine](/source/Personalized_medicine)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Medina-Franco, José L., Marc A. Giulianotti, Gregory S. Welmaker, and Richard A. Houghten. ["Shifting from the Single to the Multitarget Paradigm in Drug Discovery."](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3642214/), "[Drug Discovery Today](/source/Drug_Discovery_Today)" U.S. National Library of Medicine, May 2013. Web. 11 Aug. 2015]

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Swinney, David C., and Jason Anthony. [”How Were New Medicines Discovered?”](http://www.nature.com/nrd/journal/v10/n7/full/nrd3480.html), [“www.nature.com”](http://www.nature.com/). Nature Publishing Group, July 2011. Web. 26 Aug. 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Kotz, Joanne. [“Phenotypic screening, take two.”](http://www.nature.com/scibx/journal/v5/n15/full/scibx.2012.380.html), [“www.nature.com”](http://www.nature.com/). Nature Publishing Group, n.d. Web. 12 Aug. 2012.]

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** [”RNA Interference (RNAi)”](http://www.nature.com/nrg/multimedia/rnai/animation/index.html). Adapt. Mary Muers, Simon Fenwick, Louisa Flintoft, and Kerri Smith. Prod. James Butcher, Deborah Anthony, Jude Robinson, and Beth Anderson. Dir. Charlotte Stoddard and Doug Huff. By Craig Mello. [“www.nature.com”](http://www.nature.com/). Nature Publishing Group, 2015. ]

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-startup_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-startup_5-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-startup_5-2) Mike Sjaastad qtd. in Macron, Doug. ["Startup Persomics Aims to Launch Mini RNAi Screening Tech by Year-End.”](https://www.genomeweb.com/business-news/startup-persomics-aims-launch-mini-rnai-screening-tech-year-end), “Persomics News.” GenomeWeb, 8 July 2015. Web. 11 July 2015]

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** BioTek Instruments, Inc. [http://www.biotek.com/products/imaging/cytation3_cell_imaging_multi_mode_reader.html](http://www.biotek.com/products/imaging/cytation3_cell_imaging_multi_mode_reader.html) "Cytation 3 Cell Imaging Multi-Mode Reader.”] “Cytation 3 Cell Imaging Multi-Mode Reader”. [BioTek](/source/BioTek) Instruments, Inc., 2015. Web. 13 Aug. 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Senator Edward M. Kennedy qtd. in Burigatto, Carla, and Earl Whipple. [”AstraZeneca to Begin Construction for $100M Research Investment at R&D Boston; Expansion Solidifies Company’s Commitment to Massachusetts as a Scientific and Biotech Hub.”](http://www.astrazeneca-us.com/media/press-releases/Article/20070507-astrazeneca-to-begin-construction-for-100m-research), “AstraZeneca” -. [AstraZeneca](/source/AstraZeneca), 7 May 2007. Web. 11 Aug. 2015

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