Amgen is part of a research consortium including the NIH and Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston that hopes to find the precise genetic triggers for breast cancer, heart disease and other diseases that effect women. At the center of their research is the DNA taken from 28,000 women who agreed more than 10 years ago to take part in the massive Women's Health Study. By identifying women who have since grappled with disease, the researchers believe that they'll be able to better understand the genetics at work. In part, the focus on genetics and its relevance to the development of new therapies is part of a new emphasis on translational work. But the project has also highlighted problems with how the research is patented and who controls the products that result.
- read the article on the genetic research program from The Wall Street Journal (sub. req.)