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Biotech / Medical : Incyte (INCY) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Vector1 who wrote (641)	5/18/1998 11:43:00 AM
From: Thomas M.	Respond to of 3202

redherring.com OUT OF SEQUENCE Science has its priorities backward: it should focus on proteins first, genes second, and the genome last. By Freeman Dyson What are we doing with genes and genomes? Three scientific activities are moving ahead vigorously and will be moving ahead vigorously for many years to come. First, the Human Genome Project, aiming to determine the exact sequence of the 3 billion base pairs in the genetic apparatus of a human being. This is an international program organized and paid for by governments. Second, the sequencing of individual genes, human and nonhuman, that are of interest for medicinal purposes. This is mostly paid for by pharmaceutical companies and done in their laboratories. Third, the determination of the three-dimensional shape and structure of protein molecules, the active chemical agents that our cells manufacture by following the instructions provided by our genes. This is mostly done at universities, with some help from the pharmaceutical industry and governments. Monomania These three activities are very different, with different aims and consequences. The public is generally unaware of that. The Human Genome Project has received more attention (see, for example, this magazine's biotech briefing in the May issue, beginning on page 47) than the other activities because it is big and glamorous and heavily politicized. The promoters of the project talk about it as if the complete sequencing of one human genome were of vital importance to science and medicine. In fact the completion of the genome sequence is a political, not scientific, necessity. For science and medicine, it does not matter much whether the sequence is complete. What matters is that the technology of sequencing should become cheap and rapid enough that we have a continuing capacity to sequence genomes of many kinds of men and women, animals and plants, and bacteria and viruses, without huge efforts and large expenditures. We want to be able to sequence genomes of individuals with various diseases and disabilities, to understand the subtle connections between the genome and the organism. The genome project ought to be developing cheaper and faster sequencing technology, rather than striving to complete a single sequence. The sequencing of individual genes offers more immediate benefit to science and medicine than the Human Genome Project, at lower cost. That is why the pharmaceutical industry is willing to pay for it. It's easier and cheaper to sequence genes separately than to sequence an entire genome. The existing, labor-intensive methods are cheap and fast enough for sequencing individual genes, since all the genes together constitute only 3 percent of the genome. It is likely that almost all the human genes will have been individually sequenced within a few years, before the genome project is finished. The remaining 97 percent of the genome may have important functions that are still unknown, but science has no reason to be in a hurry to sequence it. Job one Finally, the third activity, the structural analysis of proteins, is the most difficult and the most important. The only thing that most genes can do is make proteins, which in turn define what genes can do. Proteins make us sick or healthy. Proteins switch genes on and off. Most hereditary diseases are caused by the absence of essential proteins. To reach a deep understanding of a disease like cancer, we must understand the structure of the protein machinery that breaks down when a cell becomes malignant. We are still far from such a complete understanding. There are about 100,000 different proteins in a human cell, and only about 5,000 have known structures. At the present rate of progress, it will take 100 years to determine the structures of all the human proteins. The moral is that our priorities are upside down. The public has been led to believe that the Human Genome Project is at the cutting edge of science and medicine. In the view presented by the popular media, the sequencing of individual genes comes second and proteins a distant third. In reality it is the understanding of protein structure that is the greatest scientific challenge and also the most promising approach to the rational design of drugs. The order of priorities should be proteins first, individual genes second, and the genome last. It's likely that the correct order of priorities will gradually become established during the next 10 or 20 years. Proteins will emerge as the big problem and the big opportunity. With luck, someone will invent a new microscope or a new magnetic resonance imaging machine that will enable us to visualize protein molecules directly, with every atom in its place. After that, the structure of a protein will be determined by a student with a desktop machine in a few hours, instead of taking months of work by teams of experts. When this revolution in the technology of protein structure analysis occurs, it will have more profound effects than the Human Genome Project on the future of science and medicine. Our biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries should now be pushing forward to make the revolution happen and preparing to exploit the opportunities it will create. Freeman Dyson, the author of numerous scientific books and articles, is professor emeritus at the Institute for Advanced Studies' School of Natural Sciences at Princeton University. Tom

To: Vector1 who wrote (641)	5/19/1998 4:57:00 AM
From: Rocketman	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 3202

Monsanto Initiates First Large-Scale, Genome-Wide Application of Incyte's DNA Microarrays for Functional Genomics Monsanto Will Access Up to 50,000 DNA Microarrays Monday May 18, 8:00 pm Eastern Time PALO ALTO, Calif. and ST. LOUIS, May 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Incyte Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq: INCY - news) and Monsanto Company (NYSE: MTC - news) announced today that they have entered into an agreement whereby Incyte will provide Monsanto with broad access to Incyte's gene expression microarray technology. The three-year agreement provides Monsanto scientists with the ability to analyze up to 500 million gene expression data points using Incyte's GEM(TM) microarrays. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Under terms of the agreement, Incyte will provide data to Monsanto from custom and pre-fabricated DNA microarrays, software to manage and analyze the data, and consulting and software support. ''The ability to measure gene expression in a highly parallel fashion across plant, animal and human genomes will expedite the discovery of our life sciences products of tomorrow,'' said Ganesh Kishore, assistant chief scientist and chief biotechnologist of Monsanto. ''These tools will enable Monsanto scientists to better understand the potential role of genes in treating or preventing disease in humans, in enhancing crop quality and crop yield, and in promoting better human health through improved nutrition in foods. These capabilities are a critical piece of our overall effort in the area of functional genomics -- an important link between gene structure and product innovation.'' With access to data from up to 50,000 DNA microarrays, Monsanto scientists can routinely use this technology across their life sciences projects. This technology will provide an unprecedented understanding of how genes respond both individually and as networks. Monsanto will have the ability to select microarrays containing comprehensive gene sets from all of Incyte's genomic databases as well as genes available from Monsanto's own databases. ''This agreement with Monsanto will accelerate the achievement of our goal to provide every Incyte gene on a microarray and thus make whole-genome scanning a reality,'' said Roy A. Whitfield, Chief Executive Officer of Incyte. ''The large-scale production volume contemplated in this agreement will allow our partners to expand the application of DNA microarrays beyond discovery to pharmacology, toxicology, clinical trial analysis and agricultural programs.'' Incyte and Monsanto have a pre-existing agreement providing Monsanto with access to Incyte's broad platform of genomic databases, genomic data management software, and biological reagents including the LifeSeq human gene sequence and expression database, the LifeSeq FL database of full-length genes, the LifeSeq Atlas gene mapping database, the LifeSeq GeneAlbum cDNA clone reagent set, the PathoSeq microbial database, the ZooSeq animal gene sequence and expression database, and the LifeTools bioinformatics software data management system. As a life sciences company, Monsanto is committed to finding solutions to the growing global needs for food and health by sharing common forms of science and technology among agriculture, nutrition and health. The company's 21,900 employees worldwide make and market high-value agricultural products, pharmaceuticals and food ingredients. For more information, visit Monsanto's web site at www.monsanto.com. Incyte Pharmaceuticals Inc. is a leading provider of an integrated platform of genomic technologies designed to aid in the understanding of the molecular basis of disease. Incyte's platform includes database products, software for genomic data management and analysis, and related reagents and services, which Incyte provides to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries to assist their discovery and development efforts. Incyte employs more than 650 people at several locations, including its headquarters in Palo Alto, California, and its operations in Fremont, California; St. Louis, Missouri; and Cambridge, United Kingdom. For more information, visit Incyte's web site at www.incyte.com. Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters set forth in this press release, including statements as to the volume of data to be supplied, the ability of Incyte to provide every Incyte gene on a microarray and potential application for microarray technologies, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the ''safe harbor'' provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward- looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially including, ability to meet volume production requirements, the utilization of microarray technologies by Monsanto, and the impact of alternative technological advances and competition; and other risks detailed from time to time in Incyte's SEC reports, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1997. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof. Incyte disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.