Verge Genomics (YC S15) Wants to Cure Neurodegenerative Diseases with Algorithms

Re:Verge Genomics (YC S15) Wants to Cure Neurodegenerative D... by chenja on Tuesday July 21, 2015 @07:30PM (#9926647)

I really appreciate your feedback and of course we have studied a lot of what worked (and mostly, didn't work) in systems biology over the past decade, but the field has shifted dramatically since 2004. A lot more data is available, and experiments are designed much more carefully nowadays. In fact, the thing we worry about most is that the field still isn't rigorous enough and the quality of the data still isn't good enough to translate into druggable targets. And we don't intend to belittle the work of scientists who really laid the foundation for what we are trying to do today, but surprisingly few of the big pharma companies we talked to have active systems biology programs for neurological diseases (we have also learned about others, like at Janssen, that are just getting started). I think it's not a question of if systems biology will lead to new therapies, but rather when the methods and field are mature enough.

Also regarding articles, please email me at [email protected] and I will send you PDF versions to read.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Verge Genomics (YC S15) Wants to Cure Neurodegenerative D... by mswen on Wednesday July 22, 2015 @08:19AM (#9929114)

Thanks I will shoot you an email. Your response in this thread is the kind of more nuanced and accurate positioning of what you are doing and why systems biology might now be ripe to make a real difference in the drug discovery phase. It really isn't that hard of a message to convey.

I have been doing other things since 2004 and not following pharma and biotech closely. It appears that what has happened is large pharma invested in systems biology in the early 2000's and by the end of the decade had let it fade. It may also be true that it never made it into specific disease groups, like neurological.

Systems Biology feels a little like AI in the software field. It feels so intuitive that it will one day make a big difference, but there have been many big investments and disappointments over the years, but each time it makes a resurgence we get a lot of advancement in narrow domains. And, it still feels like one day, maybe soon we will get breakthrough's in more general AI and maybe you will lead the way with SB.

A certain confidence, even brashness of youth is ok, but please understand how "tinny" it sounds to people who have been around for one or two boom/bust cycles. Forgive us our cynicism.

[ Parent | on HN ]