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Biotech / Medical : VD's Model Portfolio & Discussion Thread -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Rocketman who wrote (6530)	3/8/1999 11:52:00 PM
From: chirodoc	Respond to of 9719

Genomics: The Internet of the 21st Century/raging bull a bit simplistic, but comments anyone????????? March 8, 1999 - 2:45 PM By Emmanuel Tzavlakis - Chat with Manny on his message board. What sector has the potential of being as hot as the Internet sector of today? Genomics--Biotech's answer to today's portals, e-commerce, etc. Want to prevent disease before it happens? The answer may lie in the field of gene therapy. One day you may be able to go into a hospital, have your blood drawn, have your DNA sequenced, be injected with healthy DNA and walk out cured of disease. Absolutely amazing! Hopefully, I can explain this extremely complex concept in as simple terms as possible. Let's give it a shot. Simply defined, Genomics is the study of decoding genes to figure out the possibility of acquiring various diseases. Scientists are currently racing to uncover the gene code--who we are, how genes react to each other, how proteins play a part in the process--in essence, the blueprint of life. Over 230 extremely early clinical trials in genetic engineering are currently in progress. But uncovering the gene code is only the first step. The medical industry is now realizing that genetic data is of limited use without knowledge of protein interaction. Now the industry is gearing up to try and understand the gap between gene and protein. Sound too sci-fi for you--don't be scared off. The easiest way is to provide some simple definitions: Human Genome Project--$3 Billion, 15-year federal government effort to find all human genes by the year 2003. Pharmacogenomics--Understanding a person's genetic structure and tailoring treatment to that person. For example, after genetic sequencing of two depressed people (Persons A and B), it is found that Eli Lilly's (LLY) Prozac® would work for Person A but not Person B. Could have huge implications for the entire healthcare industry (insurance companies would love to cut the costs of ineffective drugs!) Bioinformatics--Using computers to link together the huge amounts of data amassed by the Human Genome Project and other gene sequencing projects. Bioethics--Calling into question the moral, political and religious implications of genomics. Should parents be allowed to create "designer babies"? Should insurance companies have access to a patient's genetic blueprint and refuse coverage? Many questions will arise with this new way of living. I know what you are saying, "Enough with the science talk, how can I profit from this?" Current major players in this field include Celera, a partnership of Craig Venter and Perkin-Elmer (PKN) who say they may have the gene code sequenced by 2001, Human Genome Sciences (HGSI), Incyte Pharmaceuticals (INCY), SmithKline Beecham (SBH), Affymetrix (AFFX), GenVec (Private), Warner-Lambert (WLA) and many, many more. But the real winners may not be any of the aforementioned companies; they may come from academia or a private lab somewhere in Michigan. Nobody will know for a few years. The point of this article is to make you aware of how much potential this sector has and the implications. I must point out that Genentech (GNE) had a recent setback when their Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) drug failed to produce favorable results in Phase II trials. VEGF (in a nutshell) is a process where genes are injected into a patient and the patient produces additional arteries to which the blood can flow to the heart and back out again. Even though the clinical trial did not produce the desired result, the company is looking at new ways of looking at the data. This is also not considered a setback for some of the other companies in clinical trials for this type of therapy. Regardless of this setback, however, big pharma is realizing the importance of gene therapy and are struggling to get into the game. In a Wall Street Journal article last week, the front page article featured the big drug firms linking up to pursue and understand this new scientific phenomenon. The behemoth drug firms are setting up a collaboration because they are worried that the small, unassuming biotech industry is outpacing them in decoding the genome. The big pharmas will now try and decode the genome in as short as two years! But biotech is way ahead at this point. Sound familiar? Many of the same things have been said in software and Internet companies--small companies now making a huge impact while the former major players slumber. Also, The New York Times' Tuesday Science section is loaded with stories about gene therapy. What are the long-term implications of changing genes unalterably for future generations? What about so-called "designer babies"? How can genomics improve the lives of the soon-to-be geriatric baby boomers? Keep an eye out for advancements in this area. If you haven't read anything about gene therapy, do so--not only to profit from it, but also to understand how it may affect you and your loved ones. If you are up on these topics, continue. Thought to ponder: The Internet is valuable to many because it saves time, but nothing is more important than good health!