Understanding the genetic vulnerabilities that underlie neurodegenerative diseases presents major opportunities for the development of new treatments for these illnesses. Insight into these selective vulnerabilities – why some neurons become vulnerable to disease while others remain resistant – will enable discovery and development of more effective, mechanism-based treatments to protect vulnerable neurons from the disease process. Specific tools required to assist in this evaluation must be standardized, and the resultant data both quantitative and qualitative.

To address this issue, Neurome has developed and optimized proprietary technologies to measure and assess neurodegenerative processes at work at the molecular, cellular and macroscopic level. These unique technologies detect and quantify gene expression patterns and the resultant morphological details of brain structures in normal and pathological brains with an unprecedented level of sensitivity, specificity, and resolution, and are ideally suited for strategic use in drug target selection and drug screening through structural assays of the brains of mouse models of human neurodegenerative diseases. Neurome has integrated its screening technologies for the high throughput production of standardized and quantitative data for use by the company’s own researchers and its corporate pharmaceutical partners to provide rapid, precise and quantitative assays for drug interventions.

The precision of the data generated are such that even initial lead compounds of low potency may be detected for effects on the earliest mouse pathology reported, thus greatly reducing the time required to determine the effectiveness in reversing or delaying the development of pathology. The result is a dramatic reduction in both time and money required for the pre-clinical phase of drug development, while improving the focus on critical biomarkers of disease.

The first in a series of technologies, Neurome’s MiceSlice™ produces ultra-high resolution digital brain sections from the standardized preparation of brain section tissues. Following image acquisition, microscope image tiles are seamlessly reassembled into a single brain section and rotated to perfect alignment. MiceSlice™ provides the critical foundation material necessary for the development of standardized, reproducible experimental protocols.

High throughput analysis of these ultra-high resolution images is accomplished using Neurome's NeuroZoom™, a computerized microscopy system that supports the precise extraction, analysis, and display of quantitative data from the MiceSlice™ microscope images of the brain. This comprehensive analysis and display includes morphometrics, stereology and extensive image processing. NeuroZoom™ is a completely automated system that promotes standardization of data analysis.

Neurome's BrainArchive™ contains the brain database models, thus serving as an electronic brain "atlas", for archiving, integrating and comparing brain structure and circuitry data from NeuroZoom™. BrainArchive™ presents virtual sections from its electronic brain atlas, digitally displaying both qualitative and quantitative gene expression data required from the mouse brain. High-resolution data is obtained and displayed within the context of identified cells and circuits, not just brain regions.

Neurome’s BrainPrint™ supports digital profiles for accurate comparison of quantitative, spatial and volumetric data from different transgenic mouse models and thoroughly analyzes the entire body of experimental data originating from NeuroZoom™ and stored in BrainArchive™. BrainPrint™ enables the identification of those characteristics most useful for developing profile information corresponding to certain traits under various phenotypes – essentially, those characteristics most appropriate for use in the development of precise and quantitative drug screening assays for the comprehensive and accurate evaluation of candidate therapeutic interventions.

Neurome’s suite of patented technologies generates quantitatively accurate, three-dimensional data ranging from the level of whole brains down to the level of DNA and protein sequence. For example, if a particular neurotransmitter receptor were the object of inquiry, the data will reflect relative mRNA levels across brain regions, distribution and number of neurons containing the related protein within the brain areas of interest, high-resolution data on intraneuronal distribution of the protein, and quantitative ultrastructural data on the synaptic representation of the receptor. Genes of interest may be put into the context of brain structure and function, dramatically accelerating the recognition of gene function and, consequently, our ability to gain insight into the processes that render specific neurons vulnerable to neurodegenerative disease while others remain resistant.