Private firm 23andMe Inc and Genentech on Tuesday announced that they have signed a USD 60 million agreement under which they will jointly work on generating whole genome sequencing data for the people with Parkinson’s disease.
Both the companies will involve nearly 3,000 patients of Parkinson’s disease and get their genome sequencing so that their data could be compiled together for future research works.
The main motive behind the agreement is to generate a database of people with Parkinson’s disease and carry research works for the identification of new therapeutic targets for the treatment of the degenerative neurological condition.
While 23andMe will work on generation of the genome sequencing as well as data from its participants with the Parkinson’s disease, Genentech will contribute toward identification of potential therapeutics based on the provided information.
Under the deal signed by both the companies, 23andMe can carry additional research work on the available data and share them with other researchers studying Parkinson’s disease following the termination of the multi-year agreement.
According to the company, the data will be allowed for de-identification and contribution only by those individuals who will provide 23andMe with explicit permission.
23andMe is co-founded by Anne Wojcicki, who is the wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin. On the other hand, Genentech is a unit of Roche Holding AG.
The health experts said that there is no complete cure for the Parkinson’s disease. According to a report, about one million people in the United States are affected with the Parkinson’s disease. The experts say even of the condition cannot be fully treated, but there are some medications that can improve the glaring symptoms.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.