Glaxo Expands Genetic Focus With Sequana Deal

Glaxo has continued its policy of tying-up with biotechnology firms which have promising genetic sequencing technology with the announcement of a new agreement involving Sequana Therapeutics of California, USA. The five-year agreement calls for the two companies to collaborate on the identification of genes involved in Type II or noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Sequana is one of a new breed of companies formed to take advantage of the new genetic information stemming from the work of the Human Genome Project, which is attempting to map the entire human genetic code. The company has identified families with a high incidence of NIDDM (under an agreement with Kaiser Permanente of Northern California) and hopes to identify firstly markers for the disease and ultimately disease-associated genes and molecular defects.

In the near-term, marker sequences may be useful in diagnosis, while identifying a gene or genes involved in the pathogenesis of the disorder may open up the possibility of using gene therapy to correct it, develop recombinant proteins to replace mutant factors or develop small molecules to block the negative effects of a mutant-type protein coded for by the gene. The agreement gives Glaxo access to Sequana's high-throughput analytical systems and advanced bioinformatics to allow the company to establish a rational strategy for identifying drug targets and developing appropriate therapeutics.