Regeneron Genetics Center LLC, British pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline plc and U.K. Biobank announced a new joint research initiative that could support advances in the development of new medicines for a range of diseases.
From 2006 to 2010, U.K. Biobank collected information and samples from 500,000 volunteers. The study aims to help scientists discover why some people develop particular diseases and others do not.
The partnership initiative between the biobank, Regeneron Genetics Center, a subsidiary of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., and GlaxoSmithKline will generate genetic sequence data from the volunteer participants.
“Our large-scale sequencing and analysis capabilities, coupled with U.K. Biobank’s vast trove of de-identified biological and medical information, pose tremendous opportunities for clinically meaningful discoveries that can make a difference for patients,” said George D. Yancopoulos, president and chief scientific officer of Regeneron.
Regeneron and GSK have committed an initial investment to enable the sequencing of the first 50,000 samples at Regeneron Genetics Center, which will be completed by the end of 2017.
Yancopoulos said that advancing the pace and clinical utility of genetics research requires collaboration and an open exchange of data.
“For Regeneron, we believe this initiative will greatly enhance our existing efforts in gene discovery and genetics-guided drug development,” Yancopoulos said.
Launched in January 2014, the genetics center on the Landmark at Eastview biotech campus is a genomics program that spans early gene discovery and facilitates drug development. The center has sequenced de-identified DNA from more than 150,000 people and is now sequencing at a rate of more than 150,000 people per year.
