The Hindu Business Line : Here's a way forward in healthcare

WHY is it that some drugs work well for some patients but don't for other patients? Because, we are all genetically different. This answer comes from an emerging science, called pharmacogenomics. Pharmacogenomics is a science that helps us to predict a response to a drug based on an individual's genetic make-up.

When a drug is taken, a group of enzymes (proteins) called `drug metabolising enzymes' breakdown the drugs in the body. These enzymes are present in different forms and different amounts in different individuals — it is the genes that cause the differences. This causes different people to process the same drug differently.

The way forward in healthcare is through pharmacogenomics — unravelling the causes of diseases by understanding variations in gene sequences. This approach is relevant particularly for complex diseases such as cancer, where complex and confounding interactions among genetic and non-genetic causes hamper understanding of the causes of the disease.

Because drugs are effective only in sub-populations (responders), pharma companies will in future want to test the molecular and dosage variants of their drugs on different responders. An approach like this could have, for instance, helped Merck avoid the Vioxx recall. After all, Vioxx passed the FDA approval tests and did work well for many people, but was disastrous for others.

Pharmacogenomics will therefore help drug companies discover drugs more appropriate for the patient — this is called `personalised medicine'. For this, pharma companies would need to test molecular and dosage variants of drugs on different sub-populations, to see which works best where. For this in turn, they would need databases of genetic profiles of groups of individuals.

Thus, a company that can map an individual's genetic make up and generate data on genetic profiles of groups of individuals, is sitting on a big business opportunity.

Chennai-based Gibba India Pvt Ltd, a subsidiary of Genteomics USA Inc, has set out to do just that. Genteomics was established two years ago by two childhood chums from Chennai who got their Ph.Ds from US universities in different disciplines. Dr G.S. Raj Varadarajan, Principal Executive, Genteomics, is an alumni of Vivekananda college, who got his doctorate in Botany and later worked on the Human Genome Project. Dr Netra Sambamoorthi, a Ph.D in Statistics, is a Loyola alumnus.

Gibba India intends to set up a `post-genome lab' and recruit some 75 specialists in bio-informatics, life sciences, molecular biology and software to run it. The lab, which calls for an investment of about Rs 30 crore, will feature hi-tech DNA sequencing and amplifying instruments and protein analysers. With these instruments, the company will look into what are the genes and enzymes connected with a disease and how they influence the `absorption, digestion, metabolism and excretion and toxicology' properties of the individual.

In collaboration with hospitals, the lab will essentially build a database of genetic profiles of thousands of individuals. The venture is expected to cost around $12 million (Rs 55 crore). The company is close to finalising private equity funding for this.

Dr Varadarajan and Dr Sambamoorthi see several revenue streams for Gibba India. First, making available to pharma companies the right genetic group for clinical trials. According to them, many US-based drug companies have evinced interest in this. Second, the lab would earn from `LPO', or `laboratory process outsourcing' as samples from anywhere in the world could be analysed for their genetic make-up. Third, revenues will flow from subscriptions to the `knowledge interaction platform'— a portal, which users can access the knowledgebase, interact with one another and input their data and analyses. For instance, a doctor might want to know of what variant of a drug should be given to an individual from a particular geographical region.

Finally, the company intends to provide diagnostic services such as pre-disposition screening, or, `what are the chances that their person will develop cancer 10 years hence?'

The founders of Gibba (which is an abbreviation of Genteomics Institute for Bioinformatics and Biotechnology Applications) expect their operations to stabilise in two years. Five years from then, Gibba expects to become a Rs 1,250-crore company.

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