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.