23andMe co-founder and CEO Anne Wojcicki says human genomics and DNA research is just the tip of the iceberg.
“Look at the explosive explosion of all these new technologies: gene therapy, CRISPR(), RNA technology, understanding the human genome,” Wojcicki told Yahoo Finance in Beverly Hills, Calif.
Wojcicki is “disappointed” by the lack of progress on genomics, even though we’ve just passed the important milestone of 20 years since the first complete sequencing of the human genome.
“Part of the reason is that genetics can tell you a lot about what you are at risk for, and getting preventive information and intervening in that way is not necessarily economically rewarding. I think it means that it’s not always possible to get sick.”
The CEO of 23andME () has said the company is considering ending its partnership with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in July.
Interview highlights:
1:29
What Genetics Tell Us About Human Diversity
2:20
Why 23andMe’s CEO Is ‘Disappointed’ With Genomic Adoption
5:00
Wojcicki discusses 23andMe’s partnership with pharma giant GSK
7:15
Genetics should be part of your medical school training
8:26
What’s next for 23andMe
video transcript
Brian Sotzi: I’m very interested in what 23 is, and 23andMe is currently working on at this point in its life. What is this world telling you now?
Anne Wodzicki: oh. Speaking of genetics, it’s his 20th anniversary since the first human genome was decoded. And you know, it costs billions of dollars to get one person’s sequence, and it’s a huge milestone in what we can learn from it, and 23andMe has over 13 million of people. We can learn an enormous amount from the genome. And we can begin to explain all of this incredible diversity that we see in life and all of the variability that is in our health. why some people don’t, why some people don’t get sick.
That’s why I’m excited about the 20th anniversary and where we’re going from here. But I look at everything from a genetics perspective. Because it’s like a digital code way of looking at all the diversity we see in life.
[LAUGHTER]
I know he is AG.
Brian Sotzi: What is AG?
Anne Wodzicki: It’s just me, like you have greenish eyes.
Brian Sotzi: Ha, what does that say about my DNA?
Anne Wodzicki: Well, just like you’re not GG.
Brian Sotzi: OK. Is one better than the other?
Anne Wodzicki: no no That’s all – no, it’s a question of diversity. Not really, the diversity we have in humans is about our survival stories. It’s like a really beautiful story about how we, as humans, are made to survive on this planet. Similarly, some people are cold and others are hot. Some people have darker skin, which protects them from the sun. Some people have fairer skin and can absorb more sun.
Brian Sotzi: I wasn’t going to be here, but do you go into a room and judge people like this? you just told me
Anne Wodzicki: [LAUGHS]
[INTERPOSING VOICES]
[LAUGHTER]
Anne Wodzicki: I mean, sometimes I see people, but I do, and they say, oh yeah, I haven’t done 23andMe yet. And I will devour a little. I’m dying to see your DNA.
Brian Sotzi: oh. OK, let me go — let me get back to the point here. We are at the Milken Conference. And with the efforts of Michael Milken, health care is very much focused. They didn’t even tell me where to go or what I could or could not do. Is it woven into healthcare now? Or am I missing something here?
Anne Wodzicki: No, again, it’s been 20 years since they first sequenced the human genome, and it’s disappointing that it hasn’t been widely adopted. And I think part of the reason is that genetics can tell you a lot about what you’re at risk for. It is not always economically viable to intervene in such a way.
Frankly, what’s disappointing here is that when you get a prescription, for example, to see if you’re likely to react, you don’t look at genetics. Should I take another dose? You’re watching the depression epidemic. There are all kinds of drugs, you can research your genetics, research some drugs, research interacting genes, research which drugs you are most likely to respond to.
It’s a tragedy to me that people aren’t tested first before being prescribed something. People need to know if they actually have such things. Familial hypercholesterolemia is where you have very high cholesterol levels and need to be screened.
So see for yourself what kind of things you can actually get started with.
Brian Sotzi: All of that makes a lot of sense to me.
Anne Wodzicki: yes.
Brian Sotzi: What are the biggest obstacles preventing healthcare from adopting these things?
Anne Wodzicki: Good question. I would say there are two things. Similarly, one thing is not in the workflow. So it’s not necessarily part of your workflow or process, like going to the doctor. For example, just because you say you’re interested in having children doesn’t mean it’s actually part of the workflow of how doctors will follow up and how insurance will pay out. . Are doctors educated in genetics? And what and why should they do it? how to deal with it
I think for a long time we were accustomed to genetic counselors and to let them, for example, have this particular problem. It has to be a primary care physician who is truly integrated with primary care.
So I think insurance and payments are a big obstacle. Physician education is a key obstacle as well as part of the workflow.
Brian Sotzi: I believe the last time we spoke to you around IPO 2021, you were just beginning your partnership and drug development with GSK. where is it now? And when will the first drugs in this deal hit the market?
Anne Wodzicki: Well, it’s thriving. In fact, GSK is very well made. GSK has over 50 programs underway. There is one in Phase I research that GSK is currently managing. We co-developed it, but now they’re in charge. That’s why there are a huge number of programs behind it.
23andMe also has its own wholly owned program. immunotherapy program. I am very excited. I’m very excited about understanding genetic variation, but wow, I see some people being able to say that they’re genetically less likely to develop certain types of conditions. It’s definitely exciting .
Brian Sotzi: Is it the ability to match your genetics with the ability to find cures for cancer and other diseases, the holy grail of healthcare, in anticipation of the next decade?
Anne Wodzicki: I am witnessing an explosion of all these new technologies: gene therapy, CRISPR, RNA technology, understanding the human genome. I think what 23andMe can really bring here is an understanding of the human genome.
For example, one thing we can do really well is study healthy people. That means they may have particularly interesting mutations that the scientific community thinks they don’t know about. Maybe it can cause illness. But I can study you, so I can say OK, you’re done with the knockout mutation. You are doing really well. No other health problems.
We subconsciously know that altering it or modifying its genes will not create other kinds of problems. It’s a way to help you study what’s going on.
Brian Sotzi: How do you advocate for this in your education system? Do you think what you are talking about today is built into our education system?
Anne Wodzicki: I believe that for genetics to be truly successful, it needs to be part of medical school training. So when you’re doing cardiovascular health, you know it’s part of it. When you’re doing kidney health, it’s part of it.
All aspects of healthcare have a genetic component that helps achieve the personalization that comes with it. Similarly, every patient that comes in is unique and different. And we all try to metabolize drugs differently. Your blood values can naturally differ from mine based on your genetics.
There is a lot of variability that we try to understand from your genetics, and it manifests itself in different ways in each of us. So your baseline is different than mine. Therefore, I believe that it should be integrated into all aspects of healthcare, not just as a specialty of genetics.
Brian Sotzi: Finally, what are your company’s next steps?
Anne Wodzicki: Exciting – there are two big areas. One is the consumer and this really helps. We have her over 13 million people and we use the information we give them to help them do more. There is one piece of feedback we received from our customers. That’s an almost overwhelming amount of information. So how do you translate all of this into a care plan?
We also collect a lot of lifestyle information from you, such as how you eat, sleep, walk, exercise and how happy you are. So it can help people understand their health in light of all the information in their self-reports, their genetics, and even their lifestyle, so they can know what to change. , may result in more aggressive screening in the healthcare system. Some of them may be changing the way you sleep. Some may be changing the way you eat.
So I think we have a real opportunity to provide a kind of personalized prevention based on your genetics. . And we really help you get as healthy as possible.
I think the second slide shows this from the work we’ve been doing with GSK. Having large amounts of genetic information, including very broad phenotypic data, is incredibly powerful for drug discovery. And the GSK collaboration he ends in July. And it opens all kinds of doors for us to start building more partnerships with more companies. I feel responsible.
