GSK aims higher in genetics

GlaxoSmithKline plc's launch of the independent Altius Institute for Biomedical Sciences last month showed the pharma is making the use of cutting-edge research and technologies for gene regulation a top priority in guiding its drug discovery and development. Altius' primary mission is to help GSK improve the success rate of its discovery pipeline by developing innovative methods for analyzing gene regulatory networks and applying those tools to target selection for new compounds.

"Now is the time to invest in improving target selection because it is the first major decision in the drug discovery pipeline and we think it is probably the place where you can ideally spend the least to have the biggest impact," said Lon Cardon, SVP of alternative discovery and development at GSK...