Madison, WI, and Gaithersburg, MD – September 17, 1999 – Viaken Systems, Inc. (Viaken), an Application Service Provider (ASP) specializing in R&D solutions for small- to mid-size biotech and pharmaceutical companies, and Genetics Computer Group, a pioneer in the development of genome informatics software, today announced a strategic partnership to provide bioinformatics solutions. This partnership will enable researchers to utilize critical genome analysis software applications and databases over the Internet.
Viaken’s R&D applications management model enables the small- to mid-size life sciences R&D effort to use state-of-the-art bioinformatics software solutions in a completely secure, cost-effective manner. Viaken is establishing itself as the dominant life sciences ASP by providing a complete portfolio of managed application solutions, in combination with expert support and training.
"Our partnership with Viaken enables us to provide bioinformatics solutions to the emerging biotechs and small pharmaceuticals," said Dr. John Devereux, president of GCG, an Oxford Molecular company. "It is a big effort for small companies to support a bioinformatics operation, when you take into consideration hardware, IT personnel, data management, software maintenance, support and training. As the leading provider of bioinformatics software and data management solutions, GCG provides a comprehensive package of nucleic acid and protein analysis programs, and brings researchers the cutting edge, rigorous analysis tools required to keep a step ahead of their competition."
GCG has granted Viaken an exclusive license to host and support its comprehensive bioinformatics product line. Viaken will host and support GCG’s Wisconsin Package™, SeqLab® and SeqWeb® products, as well as GCG’s new SeqStore™ data management product. Additionally, Viaken will provide full technical support, including systems administration, user support and automated database updates using GCG’s DataServe™ service. Viaken will provide these services from its data center, using a virtual private network (VPN) for secure Internet communication.
"This agreement with GCG enables Viaken to provide a complete genome informatics solution, like SeqStore, to small- and mid-size companies who might not otherwise be able to afford the efforts required to support such systems," says Viaken CEO, Dr. Keith Elliston. "Our IT and scientific expertise allows us to provide our customers with a more complete and cost-effect solution than they could implement themselves. We chose GCG as our first genome informatics partner based upon their extensive expertise, the breadth of their solutions and their market dominance."
The pharmaceutical industry spends more than $40 billion per year on R&D. "Bioinformatics is their key to developing new blockbuster therapeutics," says Viaken COO Dr. James Serum. "The key to bringing state-of-the-art technologies to the small- and mid-size biotech and pharmaceutical is the Application Service Provider model. Viaken can design, host, manage and support key solutions, such as GCG, in the fields of genome informatics, cheminformatics and pharmaco informatics. This lets our customers' scientists concentrate on science."
About GCG:
GCG, a subsidiary of Oxford Molecular Group, sets the industry standard in bioinformatics software and database tools for pharmaceutical, agrochemical and biotechnology enterprises, as well as government, hospital and academic institutions that employ nucleic acid and protein sequence analysis in their discovery research toward target identification. Oxford Molecular (London Stock Exchange: OMG) is a leading provider of discovery and software solutions to the life sciences market. The company seeks to deliver excellence in all its products and services and to help its customers benefit from the synergy that is created from the integration of state-of-the-art chemistry, biology and information technology infrastructure.
About Viaken:
Viaken is establishing itself as the dominant Application Service Provider for small and mid-size Biotechnology, Pharmaceutical and Agriculture companies by providing a complete portfolio of managed application solutions for life sciences research & development. Viaken provides a complete solution, including architecture design, implementation, secure hosting, network infrastructure, 24x7 user support and application and server management. Viaken’s solutions, called "Technology Templates™", fulfill research and development needs of its customers by serving the key areas of Bioinformatics; namely Genome Informatics, Cheminformatics and Pharmaco Informatics. These solutions are targeted for the small and mid-size life sciences companies needing to implement state-of-the-art solutions that support their complex and dynamic research efforts. Viaken has pioneered the life sciences ASP as Your Path to Knowledge™, and plans to announce additional application partnerships in the coming months. Viaken is privately held company, headquartered in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
Viaken, Technology Template and Your Path to Knowledge are trademarks of Viaken Systems Inc. GCG, SeqLab and SeqWeb are registered trademarks and SeqStore, Wisconsin Package and DataServe are trademarks of Genetics Computer Group, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
