Genome Scanning to the Rescue?
This article was originally published in Start Up
Executive Summary
As yet, pharmacogenomics has failed to set the world on fire--either as a basic drug-discovery method, or as a way of helping drug candidates win regulatory approval. Perlegen Sciences Inc., a spin-off of Affymetrix, thinks its technology can deliver on the promise. The start-up has used high-density chips to sequence the genomes of 25 people, and from that work assembled a definitive catalog of 1.5 million SNPs or single nucleotide polymorphisms. The company claims its techology is 225 times less expensive than anything anyone else has, and therefore makes whole-genome scanning possible. Perlegen recently announced it would work on behalf of GlaxoSmithKline PLC, seeking genetic markers of disease, and the firm expects to sign more deals soon. To protect itself against getting stuck as a service company, Perlegen is beginning to deploy its technology on its own behalf, hunting genes for major diseases. The firm expects to gain bargaining power as it accumulates proof of its capabilities. The prospect of commoditization is not as threatening as it was when financing markets were good--given the funding slow-down, new technologies that might have competed will not be hurrying along as fast.