DNA Phenomics
From their website we can see that they plan to offer two different products/services:
"DNA Phenomics' goal is to become a leader in the discovery, development, and sale of genomic-based diagnostic healthcare products and biotech research services throughout Asia and the Pacific."
The latter are specified:
"DNA Phenomics' research services include contract genotyping and SNP discovery."
As are the diagnostic products:
"DNA Phenomics' principle genomic product line will be a series of important drug-response classifier tests for the personalized medicine market."
"Currently there are 4 genomic products under development, and another significant set of genomic products in the planning stages by the scientists at DNA Phenomics."
(The figure 4 is very interesting)
Disease management is not a product/service offering as this is ostensibly the business plan for Phenomed. Some more quotes from the DNA Phenomics website:
"The company currently employs five people and anticipates significant growth as it lays out its research agenda and concludes building it contract research facilities."
"Using the latest genotyping technology, super-computing facilities, and sophisticated statistical analysis techniques DNA Phenomics researchers will process more genomic information and in a far more efficient manner than ever thought possible. And most importantly, DNA Phenomics scientists will identify exactly those elemental parts of the human genome which determine an individual's response to a particular drug. In short, it is that power to gather and quickly translate the text of DNA that enables the scientists at DNA Phenomics to discover and develop revolutionary healthcare solutions for humankind."
So we know from this that they are apparently in the process of building their own research facilities and that they will have access to genotyping technology, super-computing and statistical analysis techniques. Further they will be using Mapping by Admixture Linkage Disequilibrium to "uncover the causal genetic factors underlying traits such as drug reactivity."
How are they going to be able to offer the products/services? Either build it from scratch themselves and/or:
"DNA Phenomics has a growing list of impressive scientific and corporate alliances and partnerships worldwide."
Only Senecio and the Multimedia Super Corridor are currently listed on the website. You don't need to be Einstein to figure out where they will be getting supercomputing facilities from. Who can offer them contract genotyping, SNP discovery, statistical analysis techniques and drug response classifiers?
"DNAPrintTM’s services range from sequencing and genotyping to the entire process of SNP discovery."
"We [DNAPrint] currently have two pharmacogenomic tests in development..."
The statistical analysis techniques are part of the ADMIXMAP platform. DNAP could offer contract genotyping and SNP discovery as DNA Phenomic's service provider. DNA Phenomics could also (possibly longer term) offer the services themselves utilizing DNAP's technology. Similarly, DNA Phenomics could market DNAP's pharmacogenomic products in the Asia Pacific region on a preferred supplier basis; and perhaps longer term use DNAP's technology for the development of their own drug classsifiers. A number of different models could be used for renumeration including licence fees, royalties, etc.; and to some extent whether or not DNA Phenommics is a non-public company is irrelevant.
Why the delay? Apart from building their research facilities, growing the company, and the distraction of things like Phenomed, I would think that there are a number of things that have to occur before DNA Phenomics can offer drug classifier products in Asian markets. The regulatory framework may not perhaps be as onorous as the FDA in some of the markets but I can assure you that it is still present.
Are DNA Phenomics and DNAP going to be working together? Is there no connection after all? Did they fail to agree commercial terms (as has been suggested)? The truth is we do not know. Going on public domain information (and information obtained from the companies registrar in Kuala Lumpur) I have formed my own opinion. I would personally be very surprised if the two companies did not announce some sort of working relationship at some point.
All IMO of course.
AI
