In what context was the life sciences field integrated in Danaher's larger portfolio?
Danaher was founded over 40 years ago by two brothers and the initial portfolio was concentrated around industrial tools and hardware. Over time the company has evolved, and it came as a natural step to absorb the field of life sciences and diagnostics. The strategy has always been to team up with valuable companies and enable them to reach the next level, be it global market access or scaling up their portfolio. Danaher plays in three major areas: diagnostics, bioprocessing and services to provide the critical raw materials for genomic medicines.
We have a few portfolio companies that have been pioneers in genomics. For example, Integrated DNA Technologies makes short strands of DNA (called oligonucleotides) which are used in genomic diagnostics for different diseases. In the bioprocessing sector, we work with two companies that produce the equipment for manufacturing genomic medicine such as viral vectors or CAR-T therapies. The space of critical raw materials is represented by Aldevron which is famous for its plasma DNA - a type of circular DNA used for gene therapy or MRNA vaccines.
What is genomic medicine and why is it considered by many to be the future of the life sciences?
Traditionally, drug development included a considerable element of chance, but through genomics we can now sequence the DNA - which is, essentially, the cookbook of life. Thanks to this novel technology we can quickly identify the mutations that could cause diseases and intervene with maximum precision and swiftness to correct or modify the genetic cause. For example, in the case of Covid-19 vaccines, we were able to quickly sequence the virus, identify the area that causes the infection and, ultimately, develop a vaccine against it in record times. Bottom line, genomics enables precision in treating patients and opens the possibility to speed up the turnaround time of therapies.
For a long time, genomic medicine was a backwater in pharmaceutical drug development because companies were considering it to be too complicated or did not have the infrastructure to enable the commercialization of these therapies. Consequently, innovation was mainly happening in the academic sphere, represented by the National Cancer Institute, the University of Pennsylvania and so on. Seeing these, our collaboration with Duke University came as a natural occurrence, we can go much further together. And Danaher Beacons Initiative is our way of showing how excited we are to act as the channel that funnels their ideas to the market.
What are the most impactful technological advances that are making personalized medicine an accessible reality?
Firstly, the current speed and cost of sequencing DNA is making personalized treatments way more accessible than they were in the past. In 2002, it took over $2 billion to sequence a single DNA and presently the cost is only $200 - an unthinkable difference! Secondly, we now have many genomic commercial products on the market, including the Covid-19 vaccines and the recent gene therapies. Personalized medicine is attracting a lot of interest nowadays and is paving the way for technology innovations that will enable us to manufacture cures more rapidly. Traditional drugs like Tylenol are produced in a network of very large facilities, following a highly centralized model. However, genomic medicines are opening the possibility of more regional and localized manufacturing. This idea is perfectly illustrated by Cytiva which uses modular manufacturing sites called "flex factories". Although the initial price of these personalized therapies is going to be high, it will gradually decrease once these treatments become more “mainstream.”
Which present day challenge in the field will be long overcome in the next ten years?
One of the major challenges that we have today is offering the treatments to the patients that need them the most. It is customary for candidates to pass through several lines of therapy and this practice usually leads to them developing certain symptoms.
With genomic medicine, we can directly identify the patients that are prone to developing the disease and intervene before the symptoms even develop. This approach will completely shift the paradigm in clinical treatments, while enabling a better quality of life through truly curative therapies.
Could genomic medicine impact our lives in a negative way if we use it wrongly?
Any new technology is a double-edged sword and besides the purpose it was created for, there are many other possibilities that can lead to intentional or unintentional misuse. On the bright side, the actors of the genomic medicine field have been conservative and thoughtful about this possibility. The pioneers of this technology strive to put in place solid regulatory bodies and ethics panels that can regulate the entire scene, but a possible challenge could come from players outside of the academic or industry spheres.
