We have also established a groundbreaking research institute in Seattle with leading professor of genome sciences, Dr John A. Stamatoyannopoulos. Known as the Altius Institute, this is another important initiative pioneering the latest genetic technologies to help us see inside cells’ operating systems at unprecedented scale and pace.
And most recently we established a major research initiative with UK Biobank and Regeneron to begin sequencing genetic data from 500,000 anonymised volunteers in UK Biobank’s healthcare resource. This sort of genetic evidence is revolutionizing scientific discovery and drug development and our hope is that the research initiative will help us to identify new starting points for our medicines of the future.
“This new era of drug discovery should be defined by openness,” said Lon. “Joining together as a scientific community to discover new targets – in collaborations like Open Targets, Altius and the UK Biobank – will help us create a fertile landscape for creating new medicines.”
[1] Validating therapeutic targets through human genetics; Nature Reviews Drug Discovery 12, 581–594 (2013)
[2] The support of human genetic evidence for approved drug indications; Nature Genetics 47, 856–860 (2015)