TAmiRNA to host microRNA analysis workshop from Vienna

Vienna, Austria: – New startup biotech company TAmiRNA is organizing a microRNA workshop to make pharmaceutical and clinical researchers familiar with its breakthrough microRNA analysis tools.

The workshop will focus on application’s for TAmiRNA’s recently developed osteomiR™ test kit and workflow application, the first miRNA-based test for detection of musculoskeletal diseases and osteoporosis.

The two-day workshop will open December 5, hosted from TAmiRNA’s laboratories at Vienna’s University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences. Alternatively, researchers will be able to participate remotely via a webinar (web-based workshop) in partnership with Exiqon A/S.

microRNA diagnostics

“We are organizing this free workshop at our company site in Vienna in order to make our participants familiar with the theoretical as well as practical knowledge required to perform our circulating microRNA analyses,” said TAmiRNA CEO, Dr. Matthias Hackl, who will host the workshop along with fellow co-founder and senior scientific advisor, Prof. Johannes Grillari.

“Participants will be able to gain hands-on familiarity with our new osteomiRTM qPCR kit and osteomiR™ software application,” said Dr. Hackl.

During the sessions, the osteomiR™ kit and workflow application will be used for extraction of RNA from human serum samples, cDNA synthesis and qPCR amplification. There will also be practical tuition on data analysis using the osteomiR™ software application.

Osteoporosis applications

“We believe this workshop will be of very high value to pharmaceutical and clinical research groups who are active in osteoporosis and age-related diseases,” said Dr. Hackl.

“It provides a novel tool to predict fracture risk in postmenopausal women and can solve the problem of identifying patients in need of preventive therapy for bone fractures,” he explained.

“We will also be presenting additional scientific and clinical information to participants, who will have a very special opportunity to see osteomiR™ in action inside the labs where it was developed,” Dr. Hackl added.

About TAmiRNA

Privately owned and headquartered in Vienna, TAmiRNA GmbH is a biotech company specialized in the identification and validation of non-coding RNAs as biomarkers for age-related diseases. The mission of TAmiRNA is to provide clinically useful biomarkers to improve and prolong patient stability, health and quality of life with increasing age.

TAmiRNA specializes in technologies for profiling levels of blood-circulating microRNAs and developing multi-parametric classification algorithms (“signatures”). TAmiRNA uses these technologies to develop minimal-invasive diagnostic tests for early diagnosis and prognosis of disease, or as companion diagnostic tests to support treatment decisions.

TAmiRNA’s pipeline includes developments in osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes, and cancer developing ‘microRNA kit’ solutions that enable users to quantify the levels of specific microRNA combinations and platelet function in serum, plasma, urine or other biofluids. The company initially developed kits for bone disease (osteomiR) and cardiovascular disease (thrombomiR).

TAmiRNA also offers contract research services for companies in need of targeted biomarker development. Customers include (bio)pharmaceutical companies with drug development programs in human and veterinary medicine, medtech companies and clinical research groups.

TAmiRNA was founded in November 2013 with funding boosted by investigator awards from the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR) and the European Calcified Tissue Society (ECTS).

TAmiRNA’s founders, Matthias Hackl, Otto Kanzler, Regina & Johannes Grillari share a strong interest in musculoskeletal disorders, especially osteoporosis, and cardio-vascular diseases along with a guiding vision “to bring more life into the age of human”.

In May 2015, TAmiRNA was runner-up in the Best of Biotech International Awards. Later that year, the company received Phase 1 funding for its SME instrument and was also named HighTec winner in the GEWINN Young Entrepreneur Awards.