Originally Published MX November/December
2001
COVER STORY
The Missing Link
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This link could
lead to a quantum leap in the diagnostic process, opening a window on the earliest
signs of disease. The identification of these signs might be accompanied by
an expanded understanding of the biochemical processes that underlie physical
symptoms of disease. If pharmaceutical companies can develop therapeutic agents
that snarl the early disease mechanism, they could delay or even prevent the
onset of physical symptoms of disease.
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In
a collaboration with Genometrix (The Woodlands, TX), GE Medical Systems
combined microarray technologies with conventional and molecular MRI.
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The route to this goal is ripe with opportunity for GEMS. The development of advanced diagnostic tools capable of visualizing early signs of disease will be critically important in identifying patients needed to develop and test new therapeutic agents. Once these drugs have been developed, such advanced tests will be necessary to find the people who need them and to monitor their progress.
GE shone a spotlight on its plans in late August when the company announced a broad collaborative agreement with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK; Greenford, Middlesex, UK) to integrate molecular imaging technologies with the process of developing therapeutic drugs for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). For its part, GEMS is trying to develop noninvasive molecular imaging techniques based on specific molecular markers.
"The recent announcement with GSK speaks to where we are heading with molecular imaging," says Eric Stahre, general manager for genomics and molecular imaging at GEMS. "It is about seeing and treating disease better using the advances in understanding that will come from activities related to genomics and protoeomics."
"We expect this collaboration with GE Medical Systems not only to bring new insights into COPD, but also to help define appropriate intervention points for therapies for the management of this debilitating disease," says Allan Baxter, senior vice president for drug discovery R&D at GSK.
Early-stage research will be done at the GE Corporate R&D site in Schenectady, NY, in collaboration with GSK clinical researchers. The team will be looking for markers of highly specific biological changes indicative of COPD. GEMS will then look for ways to visualize these markers.
Photo courtesy GE Medical Systems
Copyright ©2001 MX
