U.K. set to kick off huge genome project with U.S. right behind

Print 03 February 2015
Joseph Keenan / FierceMedicalDevices

A U.K. project designed to analyze up to 100,000 entire human genomes is set to begin tomorrow with a similar project in the U.S. focused on more than one million people expected to be announced later this week.

It's hoped the big push to collect DNA from volunteers will propel genomic research and give researchers a better understanding of the underlying causes of disease so they can work toward developing medicines and treatments that can target specific genetic profiles of each individual, Reuters reported.

The U.K. project, which was announced two years ago, will begin collecting samples tomorrow in 11 centers in hopes of completing the program by the end of 2017. U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to announce the U.S. plan on Friday as part of an initiative that focuses on precision medicine, the news agency said.

Genomic projects on such a scale have become more practical as the price tag for genome sequencing has fallen from the $3 billion it cost to map the first human genome 15 years ago to just around $1,000 per genome today. Sequencing for the U.K. project will be done by Illumina ($ILMN), a U.S.-based biotech company that is a leader in quick and inexpensive genetic code tech.

The British project, which could put the country's state-run National Health Service at the forefront of such global research, is focused on patients with rare diseases, as well as their families. Additionally, people with common cancers also will be part of the research. Although 100,000 genomes will be analyzed, only about 75,000 people will participate as some individuals with cancer will give two genomes each--one from a healthy cell and another from their cancer.

Last year, Illumina inked a deal with pharma heavyweights AstraZeneca ($AZN), Johnson & Johnson ($JNJ) and Sanofi ($SNY) to develop a universal companion diagnostic system for cancer which helps match patients with a suitable therapy.

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