VUS Genetics designs CRISPR-based functional assays to determine the mechanism of disease biology or drug response for gene variants of unknown significance. They build patient-specific cell models to test these variants in high-throughput functional assays. This service supports drug developers in identifying optimal precision medicine treatments for oncology and rare genetic diseases.
Funding
$320K raised to dateRaised to date based on public sources. This may differ from the amount the company actually raised and is based only on what is publicly available on the internet.
Founders
Product
Problem
A significant number of gene variants discovered through genetic testing have unknown clinical significance (VUS), hindering the ability to personalize treatment for patients with genetic diseases and cancers. The ambiguity surrounding VUS mutations makes it difficult to determine patient eligibility for biomarker-targeted drugs and inclusion in clinical trials. Overcoming acquired drug resistance in cancers and identifying personalized treatment approaches for rare genetic diseases are further complicated by VUS variants.
Solution
VUS Diagnostics develops CRISPR-based functional assays to elucidate the impact of gene variants on disease biology and drug response, enabling precise patient stratification for targeted therapies. The company creates patient-specific cell models and tests them in high-throughput functional assays to help drug developers identify effective treatment options. By building databases that provide drug sensitivity profiles of gene variants, VUS Diagnostics guides patient inclusion in clinical trials and supports the development of novel treatment approaches. The company's services extend to supporting counseling for families at risk of hereditary genetic diseases by testing if observed gene variants are loss-of-function and likely pathogenic.
Target Audience
The primary customers are drug developers seeking to identify patients for whom their precision medicine can reverse disease pathology or specifically kill cancer cells, as well as clinicians and counselors supporting families at risk for hereditary genetic diseases.
Features
- CRISPR-based functional assays to determine the impact of gene variants.
- Patient-specific cell models for personalized treatment approaches.
- High-throughput functional assays to identify optimal treatments.
- Databases providing drug sensitivity of gene variants.
- Cell models for testing loss-of-function variants in hereditary genetic diseases.
- Compound-target assays for medical chemistry optimization.
- Clonal cell models with specific gene edits.