2 pharma firms to mine gene data from 500,000 Britons

London

BRITAIN'S GlaxoSmithKline and US-based Regeneron Pharmaceuticals are embarking on a joint project with UK Biobank, the world's most detailed biomedical database, to hunt for new clues linking genes and disease.

By analysing genetic variations and health in 500,000 middle-aged and older Britons, the partners said on Thursday that they hoped to identify promising leads for new medicines.

The aim is to analyse DNA from an initial 50,000 samples by the end of 2017, using Regeneron's large gene sequencing centre in New York. Completing a gene sweep for all 500,000 participants is expected to take three to five years. The move marks an acceleration of investment by drugmakers in genetic science, as industrial-scale sequencing and falling co…