The five founding members of the Alliance for Genomic Discovery (AGD), a project aiming to accelerate therapeutic development and expand the diversity of genomic data, have been announced.
Joining the AGD are AstraZeneca, AbbVie, Amgen, Bayer and Merck, who will co-fund the whole-genome sequencing of 250,000 samples in a biobank run by Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) and have access to the resulting data for use in drug discovery and therapeutic development.
Launched in 2022 by Illumina and Nashville Biosciences, a subsidiary of VUMC, the Alliance is a multi-year agreement aimed at speeding up the development of therapeutics through large-scale genomics and the establishment of a “preeminent clinical genomic resource”.
One of the main objectives of the Alliance is to help narrow the gap in the diversity of genomic data and work towards a more equitable representation of ancestry in genetic research.
“The lack of diversity in genomic data has created a gap in the scientific understanding of the underlying genetic causes of many diseases and has inhibited equitable access to precision health therapies,” Illumina and Nashville Bio explained in a statement. “Through its collaborative work, the Alliance seeks to advance the understanding of these disparities.”
Commenting on the AGD’s new members, Joydeep Goswami, chief financial officer and chief strategy and corporate development officer of Illumina, said: “We are thrilled to welcome these esteemed companies as the founding cohort in the AGD.
“Together, we aim to advance genomics and multiomics-based methods for finding therapeutic targets that are more actionable in the treatment and curing of diseases, while also improving the speed, probability of success, and efficiency of the discovery and development process.”
Earlier this year, Illumina and Nashville Bio announced a separate agreement with Amgen to have its subsidiary, deCODE genetics, sequence an initial cohort of 35,000 VUMC samples, primarily made up of DNA from individuals of African ancestries.
It has been confirmed in the latest announcement that deCODE will sequence the remaining samples for the Alliance.
According to VUMC’s website, it will take until March 2025 to sequence all 250,000 samples currently planned for the AGD project.
It adds that the Alliance aims to reach a total of eight participant companies, who will pay the full cost to access and sequence the samples.
Jeff Balser, president and chief executive officer of VUMC and dean of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, said: “Collaborations like the Alliance are fundamental to answering the pressing questions in human biology and disease, unlocking the potential for discovery of more effective therapeutics and diagnostics.
“VUMC and Nashville Bio are honoured to support our industry partners in this groundbreaking endeavour.”