DNA-Tester 23andMe Starts Trial of First Drug Developed In-House
DNA-Tester 23andMe Starts Trial of First Drug Developed In-House
(Bloomberg) -- DNA-testing giant 23andMe Holding Co. began clinical trials this week of its first drug developed entirely in-house, a critical step toward the company’s ambitions to make and sell its own therapies.
The drug, dubbed 23ME-00610 for now, is an immuno-oncology antibody aimed at treating solid tumors. The first patient in the therapy’s Phase I clinical trials received their first dose this week.
Last June, the Silicon Valley company went public via a deal with VG Acquisition Corp., a special-purpose acquisition company founded by billionaire Richard Branson. The move was motivated in large part by Chief Executive Officer Anne Wojcicki’s dream of moving the company away from primarily being known for its spit-kits that tell consumers about their ancestry and health risks, and deeper into the more expensive fields of research and drug development.
Immuno-oncology treatments, which attempt to harness the body’s complex immune system to beat cancer, are particularly well-suited to the company’s approach of using genetic data as a starting point for discovering new drugs.
23ME-00610 is a monoclonal antibody therapy designed to prevent an immune interaction that stops immune cells from doing their job, what’s known as a checkpoint inhibitor. Similar drugs that are already on the market include Merck & Co.’s blockbuster cancer drug Keytruda and Bristol Myers Squibb Co.’s Opdivo.
Preclinical data from the company suggested doing so could rev up T-cells and restore their ability to fight off cancer cells. The trial will evaluate the safety and efficacy of the therapy in a small number of patients whose disease has progressed beyond the standard treatment.
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