Ecopia BioSciences Inc.
Saint-laurent, QC
Company Overview
Ecopia has developed technologies that allow it to rapidly search through the genomes of environmental microorganisms in order to discover and sequence the genes that are involved in making natural products without having to sequence entire bacterial genomes. These technologies include isolation of genomic DNA from environmental microorganisms, construction of DNA libraries, and the generation of DNA sequence samples that are representative of the full bacterial genome ('genome sampling'). Proprietary computer applications are used to compare new DNA sequences to the Company's large and rapidly growing reference database of genes known to be involved in making microbial natural products in order to rapidly discover new genes involved in making natural products. By applying these technologies, the Company has isolated and sequenced over 60 biosynthetic loci, containing over 4, 000 biosynthetic genes, from a variety of environmental bacteria. Several of these biosynthetic loci encode known medically important molecules such as antibiotics and anticancer drugs for which no previous genetic information was available. In addition, the Company has discovered numerous biosynthetic loci that may encode new, previously unreported natural products. The Company's sophisticated computer applications also make it possible to predict the potential uses of individual genes or gene clusters. These uses include designing rational methods for improving production levels, generating novel compounds by combinatorial biosynthesis, or generating enzymes and biocatalysts that can be used to alter the structure of natural product or synthetic drug lead compounds. In addition, the Company's database and computer applications allow it to identify unique genetic markers characteristic of particular natural products or classes of natural product. These markers provide valuable information that can be used to screen rapidly through collections of microorganisms to identify those that may be able to produce particular compounds or make natural derivatives of compounds of therapeutic interest. Ecopia has focused its initial efforts on discovering the biosynthetic loci responsible for making important natural products of known chemical structure from publicly available microorganisms. This approach has enabled the Company to develop sophisticated computer applications that can be used to recognize and correlate particular gene sequences with particular chemical structures. As the number of biosynthetic loci sequenced and entered into the database increases, so does the Company's ability to predict the possible chemical structures of natural products produced by newly discovered loci. For example, the Company uses this information to determine if a microorganism is able to produce a potentially new natural product.
Company Information
Physical Address
7290 Frederick-Banting St.
Saint-laurent, QC H4S 2A1
CA
Mailing Address
7290 Frederick-Banting St.
Saint-laurent, QC H4S 2A1
CA
Additional Details
Legal Name: Ecopia BioSciences Inc.
Number of Employees: 43
CA
The Company's head office and research and development laboratories are located at 2310 Alfred-Nobel in the Technoparc of Saint-Laurent, Qubec. Ecopia occupies approximately 10, 000 square feet of space in a new building specifically designed to conduct the Company's business. The facilities include 6, 500 square feet of laboratory space equipped with state of the art DNA sequencing, molecular biology and bioinformatic computer equipment.
Kosan biosciences, Merck & Co., Harvard Medical School
43 R&D 9 Administration
Contacts
Yves Quenneville
Title: Director
Area of Responsibility: Management Executive
Phone: Show phone
Fax: Show fax
Email: Show email
Services
- Antibiotics, Anti-cancer And Other Natural Products Discovery And Development Using A Bacterial Genomics Platform.
Additional Information
541710