GSK and 23andMe sign agreement to leverage genetic insights for the development of novel medicines
Multi-year collaboration expected to identify novel drug targets, tackle new subsets of disease and enable rapid progression of clinical programmes
GSK and 23andMe today unveiled an exclusive four-year collaboration that will focus on research and development of innovative new medicines and potential cures, using human genetics as the basis for discovery. The collaboration will combine 23andMe?s large-scale genetic resources and advanced data science skills, with the scientific and medical knowledge and commercialisation expertise of GSK. The goal of the collaboration is to gather insights and discover novel drug targets driving disease progression and develop therapies for serious unmet medical needs based on those discoveries.
With over 5 million customers, 23andMe offers those with an interest in genetics the opportunity to learn more about their personal genetic profile. 23andMe customers can also choose to participate in research and contribute their information to a unique and dynamic database, which is now the world?s largest genetic and phenotypic resource.
GSK brings extensive drug discovery and development capabilities across a broad range of diseases and modalities, including small molecule, biopharmaceuticals and cell and gene therapies. It will apply its world-class technologies, including access to additional data sources, in-house target validation and genetics expertise, and utilise its manufacturing, commercial operations and scale to support partner activities across research and development.
Dr. Hal Barron, Chief Scientific Officer and President R&D, GSK,?said; ?We are excited about this unique collaboration as we know that drug targets with genetic validation have a significantly higher chance of ultimately demonstrating benefit for patients and becoming medicines. Partnering with 23andMe, an organisation whose vision and capabilities are transforming the understanding of how genes influence health, will help to shift our research and development organisation to be ?driven by genetics?, and increase the impact GSK can have on patients.?
Anne Wojcicki, CEO and Co-Founder of 23andMe, said; ?This collaboration will enable us to deliver on what many customers have been asking for -- cures or treatments for diseases. By leveraging the genetic and phenotypic information provided by consenting 23andMe customers and combining it with GSK?s incredible expertise and resources in drug discovery, we believe we can more quickly make treating and curing diseases a reality.?
Together, GSK and 23andMe will focus on translating genetic and phenotypic data into R&D activities that will:
- Improve target selection to allow safer, more effective ?precision? medicines to be discovered.?Genetic data can significantly improve our understanding of diseases, their pathways and mechanisms, supporting the design and development of more targeted medicines. Use of genetic data in selecting drug targets can increase both the probability of success in a particular indication and avoid unwanted safety risks.
- Support identification of patient subgroups that are more likely to respond to targeted treatments.?Scale is critical for the detection of genetic effects in smaller subsets of diseases and patients. With over 80% of 23andMe?s customer base consenting to participate in research, their aggregate and de-identified data could help enable the discovery of a significant number of novel associations from a diverse range of people, which would not otherwise be possible.
- Allow more effective identification and recruitment of patients for clinical studies.The ability to identify and invite patients with a particular disease, and in some case specific genetic subgroups, to participate in studies that are relevant to them could significantly shorten recruitment and reduce clinical development timelines, allowing medicines to be delivered to patients more efficiently.
Cautionary statement regarding forward-looking statements
GSK cautions investors that any forward-looking statements or projections made by GSK, including those made in this announcement, are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Such factors include, but are not limited to, those described under Item 3.D Principal risks and uncertainties in the company's Annual Report on Form 20-F for 2017.