CRISPR Pipeline
The pharmaceutical giant will put CRISPR on stream
Georgy Golovanov, Hi-tech+
British GlaxoSmithKline has decided to invest $67 million in a new laboratory for the production of advanced drugs using gene editing technology. Jennifer Dudna, one of the creators of CRISPR, will oversee the laboratory, according to a press release from GSK.
CRISPR is a type of molecular scissors that cut and edit DNA. This tool is used to create genetically modified plants, animals and even humans. Now Glaxo is investing tens of millions in a new way to use CRISPR – less well-known, but perhaps more important.
The idea is to use this tool to grow cells in the laboratory, correct all 20,000 protein-coding genes (individually and in all possible combinations) and see what happens. Perhaps it will be possible to find a combination that destroys cancer, or explain why some people do not get sick, despite the presence of serious mutations in their genes.
The new center intends to bring CRISPR technology to the industrial level. According to Hal Barron, Glaxo's chief scientist, a single experiment can yield 400 million data points. Machine learning algorithms will be required to comprehend such a volume of information.
As for the leadership, the question here is not so clear. The center will be supervised by Jennifer Dudna, one of the creators of CRISPR technology, and Jonathan Weisman, along with 24 employees from the University of California. 14 employees of the company will help them. But since Glaxo writes the checks, it will also determine the direction of research and patent discoveries and new technologies.
Despite the fact that Glaxo calls the structure of this agreement unique, such formats are not uncommon in pharmaceuticals and sometimes cause problems. A similar 1998 deal between the University of California at Berkeley and Novartis led to an investigation and a recommendation to avoid contracts between the university and industry in the future.
According to Dudna, CRISPR therapy will reach patients in about 5-10 years. Most likely, the therapy against beta-thalassemia, which is already being developed, will be approved first. China, where the ethical rules are not so strict, can bypass Western countries in the use of CRISPR.
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