HealthTwiSt - Genetic Contract Research

HealthTwiSt specialise in genetic contract research and biobank for human target evaluation and translational medicine. HealthTwiSt is an innovative goal-oriented service provider, actively supporting you in the fields of human functional genomics, pharmacogenomics, proteomics and functional food / nutriceuticals.

In particular, we provide access to extensively characterized human subjects and samples, together with many years of know-how in the analysis of the genetics of complex traits and diseases.

COST-EFFICIENT CLINICAL DATA ANALYSIS

Our highly informative quantitative clinical data and twins-based approach saves time and research costs. HealthTwiSt translates the raw material of the Human Genome Project into medical and pharmaceutical knowledge. We serve as a one-stop-shop for functional genetics, delivering complete sets of data, biological samples, DNA and statistical analysis, to make sense out of sequence.

CLINICAL DEVELOPMENT TARGET EVALUATION

To bridge the current gap between target finding / validation in animal studies and clinical development in man, HealthTwiSt has access to a unique collection of twin families for studies on genotype-phenotype relations. A wealth of data on the cardiovascular and metabolic system is readily available, together with DNA samples. Know-how in genetic epidemiology is provided, enabling our customers to take informed decisions on future developments.

CLINICAL SIDE-EFFECT RISK ANALYSIS

HealthTwiSt provides quantitative target evaluation, addressing therapeutic potential as well as risk for side effects. Customers, either engaged in target finding / validation or in-licensing targets for their own clinical development, will save time and money by target-ranking for their pipeline and early devalidation of failing targets.

Target evaluation is based on:

• Sequencing of candidate genes in a small sample to define the most prevalent genetic variants (SNPs)
• Extraction of phenotypes from the HealthTwiSt-Registry (e.g. cardiovascular and metabolic data sets) or prospective data sampling
• Genotyping of probands
• Association analyses for quantitative functional evaluation of your candidate genes in terms of target phenotypes and potential side effects as e.g. QT prolongation

LIVING BIOBANK / PROBAND POOL

The HealthTwiSt-Register offers a unique combination of a ‘living biobank’ and a continuously growing pool of probands from twin families. Hundreds of twins have been phenotyped in the past and remain available for sampling and clinical measurements.

CLINICAL TWIN STUDIES

Due to a firmly established contact with the twins and patient-centred families, HealthTwiSt can organise clinical studies according to customer-specific needs, including pharmacogenetic and metabonomic studies. Selection of subjects can be based on clinical and genetic data.

HUMAN EXPERIMENT MODELS

Our successful scientific track record in genetic epidemiology is giving proof to our concept. With the HealthTwiSt approach you extend your experimental work to a meaningful human model.

TWIN DNA ANALYSIS

For retrospective analysis various cardiovascular and metabolic measurements in twins together with DNA for sequence analysis is available. So taking potential targets e.g. from your obese mouse model, and analyzing association of the underlying genes in humans can be accomplished in just months rather than years.

Specific data and samples for your problem can be obtained in addition; sequential extension according to your needs within the very same subjects is possible according to our ties to the twin subjects. This unique combination of data base, samples in the freezer, and access to the subjects is what we call a ‘living biobank’.

TESTING OF NUTRACEUTICALS / COSMECEUTICALS

Based on our HealthTwiSt register, you gain access to twins as the perfectly matched controls. In a ‘co-twin control design’, effects are tested in twin pairs, with one twin receiving treatment and the co-twin, almost identical in biology and behaviour as perfectly matched control, receiving placebo if appropriate.

Variance within groups becomes irrelevant, basic variance within twin pairs is small due to matching. Due to reduction of variability between cases and control group, perfect match for age, genetic background, life style including nutritional habits as well as fast recruitment from existing pool of twins, this approach results in a dramatic reduction in sample size and study duration, saving you financial resources and giving you shorter time-to-market cycles.