Pharma

DNA sequencing platform could help physicians target drugs for each patient

A company has developed a DNA sequencing platform that it says can accelerate the development […]

A company has developed a DNA sequencing platform that it says can accelerate the development of molecular diagnostic tests to help physicians determine the most effective drug for a particular patient.

New York-based Genomic Expression, led by Gitte Pedersen, the CEO and co-founder, is targeting a customer base of Big Pharma, companies that are developing diagnostics based on genetic profiles, next-generation sequencing companies and diagnostics companies. It is seeking to raise $1 million to move toward proof of concept with its next-generation sequencing platform and increase its patents.

In addition to the platform, among the other products in Genomic Expression’s pipeline, are tools that would help pharmaceutical companies develop companion diagnostics.

Companion diagnostics are assays to help physicians make decisions on the right course of treatment for a particular patient by determining the efficacy of a specific drug or class of drugs for a targeted patient group. But in the context of drug development, companion diagnostics have the potential to accelerate and reduce the cost of the drug development and commercialization process for drugs by producing safer products with enhanced therapeutic efficacy.

Although some companies are using platforms in which biomarkers have been identified using sequencing and then clinically validated, Genomic Expression claims its platform allows companies to skip this process and directly discover new biomarkers, and shave two years off the drug-development process.

Pedersen pitched the company at a recent BioNJ conference on personalized medicine in Princeton, New Jersey.

With the race to develop effective treatments for genetic maladies like Alzheimer’s disease and various cancers, companies with the DNA sequencing tests deployed as part of this approach to personalized medicine are seeing a rise in the potential market for these tests. A UnitedHealthcare report estimates the market value at $25 billion by 2021.

Gitte Pedersen, Genomic Expression CEO

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