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Biotech / Medical : GLGC Gene Logic -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Arthur Radley who wrote (34)	1/26/1999 12:49:00 PM
From: Steve Lokness	Respond to of 360

Mike and TD; MIke, I think you are correct that some of the questions are hard to ask. I have had a terrible time expressing myself with one question and will try again with the hope someone here can answer. The science that companies like GLGC are developing (as you say Mike) could, if successful, dramaticly change the way drugs are developed and might leave as obsolete many existing companies. And the question: While there is a huge potential for companies like GLGC, isn't there even a greater potential for the companies doing the diagnostics? If genetic variations will ultimately decide which drugs work for which group of people (pharmacrogenetics) isn't everyone going to have to be tested each time a drug like this is prescribed? And as a better and better understanding of the interaction of all the individuals genes becomes known won't this almost mean that a database will need to be maintained to control(?) this? IOW, if a drug works for a subset of geneticly similar people this subset will have to be known. Being Norwegian for instance doesn't mean you have any particular gene or being from the Olympic Peninsula doesn't mean that a drug will work for you and not for someone in Florida - you will have to be tested. Add to this the genetic variations of disease - does that mean there will also have to be a test on the disease? Sure it does and they are just starting to do that as VGIN is testing HIV patients to figure out which of the many strains of HIV the person has. Each time a new drug is prescribed (for HIV or antibiotics for instance) the disease develops a resistance. To think that this will change is silly. The potential here would seem to be Microsoft in magnitude. While I can forsee the day this will happen, I can't decide who might be that Microsoft. Mike if you are up all night give this one an answer will you :) Steve