An App Store for genomics
Helix, based near San Francisco, touts its API-based business model as a way to stand out among the plethora of personal genomics companies.
Anne W. and 23andMe: Still cool but still stalled
Anne Wojcicki made a strong case for getting your DNA sequenced to the crowd at SxSW but she had no easy answers for questions about privacy or the FDA.
How 23andMe got in trouble
Open sesame? Lukas Hartmann shares a great, detailed story (My deadly genetic disease was just a bug) of what happens when a self-described nerd is “confronted with a life threatening situation,” in this case a message about him from 23andMe that read: “Has two mutations linked to limb-girdle muscular dystrophy. A person with two of […]
Domain VC: Why we’re investing more in molecular diagnostics
When Domain Associates led Xagenic Inc.’s recent $20 million Series B, it marked the eighth diagnostics investment the firm had made with its $500 million eighth fund. The partners say they’ve invested nearly a quarter of their current fund in molecular diagnostics companies because they think genomic analysis technology has reached a tipping point. “One […]
Close look at 23andMe founder and what genetic testing means for adoptive parents
What began as an assignment to investigate and profile 23andMe Founder and CEO Anne Wojcicki took a personal turn for one adoptive parent and Fast Company contributor. In this article, a writer using the pseudonym Elizabeth Murphy examines her decision to get a spit-kit for herself and her daughter, a young child she adopted from […]
GnuBIO lands $10M to launch desktop sequencer (“the K-Cup coffee of DNA sequencing”) in 2013
With $10 million in new investments and a $4.5 million grant from National Human Genome Research Institute, a Cambridge DNA sequencing company is preparing to launch its version of a desktop DNA sequencer next year. “To carry out the process (of DNA sequencing), you need a team that understands how to do microbiology, informatics, and […]
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.