Omri Gottesman came to the US from the UK 10 years ago, wide-eyed like many others.
The human genome project was long-complete and, with great fanfare, researchers were beginning to try and leverage those insights into treatments. Mount Sinai School of Medicine offered him a fellowship focused on just that: genomic medicine.
At the time, there was a lot of hope and hype that we had solved health, and would be able to discover and prevent everything and treat everyone, Gottesman told Endpoints News. It was the reason I came to Mount Sinai.
Over the ensuing decade, human biology proved much more elusive than they imagined. Genetics was more complicated than A-T and C-G. There were no easy hacks. Still, the field advanced and after 4 years at Mount Sinai and a stint at Regeneron, Gottesman decided he wanted to advance it on his own and build a new platform around the original mission: Analyze genetic information to home in on ideal drug targets. He called the new company Empirico and soon raised $30 million.
Its not a unique concept, but its one Gottesman pulled off well enough to today score a three-year partnership with Ionis Pharmaceuticals, one of the oldest and more successful genetics-based drug developers.
Ionis will make a $10 million equity investment into Empirico and offer $30 million in near-term operational and preclinical milestones, with another $620 million promised for clinical, regulatory and sales goals. In exchange, Empirico will make up-to 10 platform-discovered drug targets available to Ionis.
We spent about a year building the discover-first platform, Gottesman said. Part of the motivation for the Ionis collaboration and exploring collaborations more broadly is that we now have more potential targets than our capacity to develop therapies for them.
On the Ionis side, this is the latest collaboration for a biotech that has sought many since its founding and is trying to keep early-stage strong while some late-stage programs come to fruition. The deal also includes an option for Empirico to license a drug back from Ionis as it strives to become a target-to-market company.
Youve heard of platforms like Empirico before; its the mixed machine learning and wet lab approach taken by a growing number of biotechs. Gottesman and his team use their computer platform to interrogate genetic data for the roots of diseases. Should the computer find a mispelling or other variant in genetic code that appears to cause the malfunction, they then produce cell lines with that mispelling in the lab. Should those cell lines show the same malfunction as the disease, they then use their platform to identify the best form for a therapy.
Theyve used that method to build 5 preclinical targets, leading to a small molecule program for an upper airway disease and an siRNA candidate for glaucoma.
The targets for the Ionis collaboration will be those Empirico finds can be best-treated with their partners signature antisense technology. The biotech has already identified a couple, although they didnt disclosed them.
A 40-year-old concept, antisense therapies have recently brought some of the genetics-based health gains Gottesman and others sought. Along with a handful of approved drugs, last year a neurologist in Boston created a personalized therapy for a young girl with a never-before-seen genetic error. And yesterday, Ionis founder Stanley and Rosanne Crooke launched a charity to make those kinds of genetics-based ultra-personalized medicines broadly accessible.
Those bespoke therapies are arguably the apex of the vision Gottesman and others had 10 years ago. Its a vision he thinks has made more progress than some think, even if it hasnt brought any utopian dream.
Over the last decade, weve realized its really harder than it seems, he said. But actually, if you work at it, theres real value.
Social image credit: Ionis via YouTube
Link:
Ionis finds new partner in a young biotech and its hopeful founder - Endpoints News
- Personalized medicine: The pros, cons and concerns - New Atlas - November 16th, 2024
- Precision Medicine, AI, and the Future of Personalized Health Care - November 16th, 2024
- Why precision medicine results in more effective health care, treatment plans - The Business Journals - November 16th, 2024
- Comprehensive Genomic Profiling at Diagnosis Extends Survival in Patients with Advanced Cancer - Inside Precision Medicine - November 16th, 2024
- More Precise Classifications of NonClear Cell RCC Are Required to Improve Personalized Treatment - OncLive - September 13th, 2024
- Bahrain aims to provide residents with personalized healthcare - Healthcare IT News - September 13th, 2024
- Precision Medicine Market Is Expected To Reach Revenue Of - GlobeNewswire - September 13th, 2024
- New Graduates Leverage Genomics Education in Clinical and Research Settings - University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus - June 20th, 2024
- Personalized medicine is coming, but who will have access to it? - March 10th, 2024
- Personalized medicine | Definition, Origins, Examples, & Ethical ... - March 10th, 2024
- Innovating for Individual Care: The Impact of USP on Personalized Medicine - March 10th, 2024
- Live Cell Encapsulation Market To Reach USD 313.3 Million at a CAGR of 4% in 2032 - EIN News - April 23rd, 2023
- Cancer Therapeutics and Biotherapeutics Market is estimated to be US$ 506.8 billion by 2032 with a CAGR of - EIN News - April 7th, 2023
- Regenerative Therapies Market is Set to Grow at a CAGR of 8.7% by 2033, Propelled by Advancements in - EIN News - March 13th, 2023
- Gene Therapy Market Size (USD 46.5 Bn by 2030): A Growing Industry and Its Impact on Healthcare Systems - EIN News - March 13th, 2023
- Translating the Microbiome - Inside Precision Medicine - October 15th, 2022
- Enhancing Enrollment in Biomarker-Driven Oncology and Rare Disease Trials - Applied Clinical Trials Online - October 15th, 2022
- Global Cancer/Tumor Profiling Market Research Report to 2027 - Increasing Demand for Personalized Medicine Presents Opportunities -... - October 15th, 2022
- Cambridge biotech raises $168 million to fight cancer and other diseases - The Boston Globe - October 15th, 2022
- Perlmutter Cancer Center Medical Oncologist Provides Personalized Care to People with Breast Cancer - NYU Langone Health - October 15th, 2022
- Concierge Medicine's Continued Rise Illuminated by Specialdocs Consultants at the Industry's Leading Event - PR Newswire - October 15th, 2022
- Hormone Changes: The Star of Every Stage in Women's Sleep - Medscape - October 15th, 2022
- Could Xolair Be the First Biologic Treatment for Food Allergies? - Allergic Living - October 15th, 2022
- Matching Treatments to Your Genes - The Epoch Times - October 15th, 2022
- Global Monoclonal Antibodies (mAbs) Markets, 2018-2021 & 2022-2030 - Increasing R&D Activities Aimed at the Development of Novel Therapeutic mAbs -... - October 15th, 2022
- Xcell Biosciences and aCGT Vector Collaborate to Accelerate Development of Cell and Gene Therapies - Business Wire - October 15th, 2022
- Learn Look Locate Partners with Genetic Testing Leader, Myriad Genetics, in Educational Campaign - PR Newswire - October 15th, 2022
- Important Mission By LG To Reinvent Society With Future Growth - Forbes - October 15th, 2022
- Scientists identify more than 12,000 spots in the human genome associated with height - Inverse - October 15th, 2022
- The future of cancer research | News - ND Newswire - October 15th, 2022
- Kyverna Therapeutics Names Peter Maag, Ph.D., as Chief Executive Officer - PR Newswire - October 15th, 2022
- Call for Accurate Automation in Healthcare Practices to drive the Laboratory Information Systems (LIS) Market | Future Market Insights, Inc. - Yahoo... - October 15th, 2022
- Stem Cell Manufacturing Global Market Report 2022: Widespread Product Utilization in Effective Disease Ma - Benzinga - October 15th, 2022
- Global Precision Medicine Software Market is projected to witness a healthy growth rate of 10% in the upcoming years - Bio-IT World - July 17th, 2022
- The Single-Cell Analysis Market Size To Almost Double By 2026 Due To A Rising Focus On Personalized Medicine As Per The Business Research Company's... - July 17th, 2022
- Northwell Health Partners with Google Cloud to Provide Proactive, Personalized Healthcare - PR Newswire - July 17th, 2022
- Leveraging whole blood based functional flow cytometry assays to open new perspectives for rheumatoid arthritis translational research | Scientific... - July 17th, 2022
- New Approaches Needed To Support Digitization Of Healthcare - Forbes - July 17th, 2022
- Outlook on the Microtome Global Market to 2027 - Increasing Demand for Personalized Medicine Presents Opp - Benzinga - July 17th, 2022
- Precision health perspectives - UCI News - July 17th, 2022
- The Worldwide Compound Management Industry is Expected to Reach $1.4 Billion by 2030 - ResearchAndMarkets.com - Business Wire - July 17th, 2022
- Thrive Pet Healthcare and FidoCure Announce An Expansive Pet Precision Health Partnership - Benzinga - Benzinga - July 17th, 2022
- Access to Myriad Genetics GeneSight Test Improves Depression Remission Rates In Largest Ever Mental Health PGx Randomized Controlled Trial - Yahoo... - July 17th, 2022
- Global Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell (iPSC) Market Report 2022: Rising Applications of iPSCs Fueling Industry Growth - ResearchAndMarkets.com -... - July 17th, 2022
- Research Antibodies and Reagents Market worth $16.1 Billion by 2027 Exclusive Report by MarketsandMarkets - Yahoo Finance - July 17th, 2022
- Global Custom Antibody Market Is Expected To Reach USD 742.27 Million At A CAGR Of 10.3% And Forecast To 2029 - Digital Journal - July 17th, 2022
- Personalized Medicine Coalition - Precision Medicine Advocacy and ... - June 8th, 2022
- Precision Medicine | FDA - June 8th, 2022
- Global Precision Medicine Software Market is anticipated to witness a lucrative CAGR of 10% - GlobeNewswire - June 8th, 2022
- Global Biomarkers Markets Research 2022-2027: Increased Adoption of Biomarkers in Personalized Medicine / Focus on Digital Biomarkers / Increased... - June 8th, 2022
- Every patient in this experimental drug trial saw their cancer disappear, researchers say - CBS News - June 8th, 2022
- The Middle East molecular diagnostics market is projected to reach $1,017.7 million by 2031 from $493.1 million in 2020, at a CAGR of 6.72% during the... - June 8th, 2022
- It's time to move past Aduhelm and focus on a broader Alzheimer's drug pipeline - STAT - June 8th, 2022
- Can the industry elevate the success rate of cancer trials? - OutSourcing-Pharma.com - June 8th, 2022
- Purdue Polytechnic Institute and Purdue University Global collaborating on partnership with the University of Puerto Rico - Purdue University - June 8th, 2022
- Illumina Announces Next Generation Products and Data at AGBT General Meeting to Advance Innovative Customer Solutions - PR Newswire - June 8th, 2022
- AdhereTech and Massive Bio, Two of NYC Digital Health 100 most Promising Start-Ups, Announce AI-Enabled, Patient-Centric Oncology Solutions... - June 8th, 2022
- Time to Rethink Metformin as First-Line Therapy? Perspective from ADA 2022 - Endocrinology Network - June 8th, 2022
- PreludeDx Presents New DCISionRT Data on the Effectiveness of Endocrine Therapy in DCIS Patients at the ASCO 2022 Annual Meeting - 69News WFMZ-TV - June 8th, 2022
- BITS Pilani Hyderabad to conduct 'Precision Medicine 2022' event tomorrow - United News of India - June 8th, 2022
- Global Laboratory Information Systems (LIS) Market to Reach US$2.4 Billion by the Year 2026 - Yahoo Finance - June 8th, 2022
- Medical Nutrition Market Promising Growth Opportunities and Forecast 2027 - Digital Journal - June 8th, 2022
- 57% of Organizations in India are at the Startup Stage of Genomics High-Performance Computing Infrastructure - APN News - June 8th, 2022
- Cellworks Singula TRI Provides Personalized OS and PFS Predictions for 18 NCCN Guideline GBM Therapies - StreetInsider.com - June 8th, 2022
- Inspiration for the laboratory of tomorrow - Chemie.de - June 8th, 2022
- Global Nanomaterials in Personalized Medicine Market (Impact Of COVID-19) Growth, Overview With Detailed Analysis 2022-2028 Queen Anne and Mangolia... - May 8th, 2022
- The global biomarkers market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 11.44%. - Yahoo Finance - May 8th, 2022
- Bioinformatics Market Size, Share, And Trends Analysis Report, By Application (Drug Development, Protein Function Analysis, Gene Therapy, Molecular... - May 8th, 2022
- Link between EBV and MS may give clues to the cause of long COVID - The Arizona Republic - May 8th, 2022
- Improving Cell Cultures with Thermoresponsive Coatings - Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News - May 8th, 2022
- Reevaluating, Reimagining, And Reinventing Healthcare: Innovation In A Post-Pandemic World - Forbes - May 8th, 2022
- Study of Cancer Genetics to Help with Targeted Treatment - VOA Learning English - May 8th, 2022
- Increased demand for Molecular diagnostics after the COVID-19 outbreak - The Financial Express - May 8th, 2022
- CIOs' 5-year plans for precision medicine and emerging technologies - Healthcare IT News - January 30th, 2022
- SeqOne Genomics Closes 20M Series a to Accelerate the Deployment of Its Genomic Medicine Platform - Business Wire - January 30th, 2022
- Study: In IBS patients, cognitive behavioral therapy modulates the brain-gut microbiome and helps relieve symptoms - UB News Center - January 30th, 2022
- (New Report) Digital Genome Market In 2022 : The Increasing use in Diagnostics, Agriculture & Animal Research, Personalized Medicine, Drug... - January 30th, 2022
- Silencing a faulty gene may uncover clues to rare forms of ALS - National Institutes of Health - January 30th, 2022
- Plants, Bioprinting and Orbital Plumbing Fill Crew's Thursday Schedule - NASA - January 30th, 2022
- ClarityX DNA: The Key to Tackling Seasonal Affective Disorder - PR Web - January 30th, 2022