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news.AstraZeneca has launched a new initiative to screen around two million genomes sequences for information that will guide in advancing drug discovery and development across its research and development platforms.
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Genomics is the study of the genome, a double string of DNA which features all the genes required to make and operate an organism.
The company established collaborations with US sequencing specialist Human Longevity, the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in the UK and the Institute for Molecular Medicine (FIMM) in Finland.
AstraZeneca will set up a dedicated Centre for Genomics Research which will bring together genome sequence data from clinical samples as well as related clinical and drug response information.
The center will access up to 500,000 genomes available via AstraZeneca’s collaborations and from the public domain.
Human Longevity will sequence the clinical samples and analyze them using machine-learning, pattern recognition and other analytical techniques.
The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute will work with AstraZeneca to find new drug targets and biomarkers with potential use in diagnostic tests.
Under the collaboration with FIMM, AstraZeneca will study genes of interest in the Finnish population, which is believed to carry a larger than normal frequency of rare variants.
AstraZeneca executive vice president, innovative medicines & early development Menelas Pangalos said: "Using the power of genomics is the foundation of our ambition to develop the most innovative and impactful treatments for patients.
"Genomics will be fundamental to our laboratory research, our clinical trials and the launch of our medicines for patients."
Image: AstraZeneca research and development equipment. Photo: courtesy of AstraZeneca.