KPLU Local News
(2010-02-23)
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SEATTLE, WASH.
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A new nonprofit in Seattle aims to revolutionize medicine. The vision is to create a global network for sharing data about DNA and diseases. The organization just got a vote of confidence in its approach from the National Cancer Institute.
The founders of Sage Bionetworks were key players in the 1990's at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, who then created a biotech company called Rosetta Inpharmatics. That firm was sold to the drug company Merck. Now, Steven Friend has left his executive position at Merck, rounded up some ex-Rosetta colleagues in Seattle, and launched this new project.
It calls for a whole new breed of biologists. Instead of test-tubes and microscopes, they use math and computers to change how we understand diseases. Nearly a decade after the Human Genome Project wrapped up, decoding genes is faster and easier, and a new opportunity is emerging.
Sage will build an open network for sharing genomic data. Friend says it's a major cultural change, because biologists have tended to horde their data, "until they published everything they could possibly publish."
Now, there's such an explosion of genetic information, a lot of scientists believe there's more to be gained by making all the data public. Then, scientists around the world can create computer systems to compare the data and find hidden patterns. Those patterns might explain why a drug works for one sick person but not another, or might point to a molecular target for a new drug.
The new breed of scientist will need to blend mathematics and biology. Sage, which has about 20 employees and is just one year old, will lead the way in training those new scientists, through a grant from the National Cancer Institute. They'll pair up a young biologist with a mathematician, and help them mentor each other.
For a different take on topics of science and health care, check out Keith Seinfeld's KPLU blog.
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