Life Sciences 2020: The Future is Here

LIFE SCIENCES NATIONAL REPORT 2019 APPENDIX Recent Technology Advances

Genomics Several factors are driving the demand for genomics. Most importantly—as the technology has matured—costs are declining. As costs continue to decrease, accessibility to genetic procedures is increasing. This has led in some cases to insurers covering genetic testing for drug therapies. Demand from the pharmaceutical industry is accelerating as it turns to genomics to possibly solve one of the industry’s major issues: decreasing the failure rate in turning leads into drugs that work. Recent Developments: • A partnership between GlaxoSmithKline and 23andMe has yielded six potential drug targets. 1 • As of October 2019, UnitedHealth covers genetic testing for psychiatric drug treatment to its more than 27 million participants. • Genomics is not limited to humans; pets are another potential market for possible drug treatments. Drugs for feline diabetes are currently being tested. Key Players: General Electric Company, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Oxford Nanopore Technologies, Agilent Technologies, Inc., IntegraGen, QIAGEN, BGI, F. Hoffmann- La Roche Ltd, Danaher and Illumina, Inc.

Cell and Gene Therapy One of the major demand segments for gene therapy is gerontology and the study of age-related diseases. As researchers continue to make some headway in unraveling the genetics related to aging, clinical trials will follow. This and other demand drivers will ensure that the need for space for cutting-edge research will continue to be robust. Recent Developments: • Scientists at Harvard University’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering were able to improve or reverse several age- related diseases in mice (type two diabetes, heart and renal failure) 2 • Heart disease in dogs is being treated with gene therapy by scientists at Tufts University after testing it on mice Key players: Amgen Inc., Bluebird Bio Inc. Dendreon Pharmaceuticals LLC., Fibrocell Science, Inc., Human Stem Cell Institute, Kite Pharma, Inc., Kolon TissueGene, Inc., Novartis AG, Orchard Therapeutics plc., Organogenesis Holdings Inc., Pfizer, Inc., Spark Therapeutics, Inc., Vericel Corporation and ViroMed Co., Ltd.

1 Wall Street Journal 2 The Harvard Gazette (https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2019/11/researchers-able-to-improve-reverse-age-related-diseases-in-mice/)

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