TARRYTOWN, N.Y. and
AURORA, Colo., May 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --
Regeneron Genetics Center will sequence 450,000 informed
and consented patients
Sequencing data will be paired with de-identified health
records to aid in genomic medicine, drug discovery and personalized
medicine approaches
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: REGN) and the Colorado
Center for Personalized Medicine (CCPM) at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
today announced a large-scale research collaboration designed to
advance the field of human genetics and precision medicine through
the sharing of 450,000 DNA samples and corresponding health records
from de-identified, consented patient participants in the expansive
UCHealth system. The Regeneron Genetics Center (RGC), a wholly
owned subsidiary of Regeneron, has entered into the collaboration
with CCPM and will sequence these samples, producing genomic data
that can be used to facilitate translational medical research and
ultimately enable physicians to make better decisions for their
patients.
The CCPM is one of the largest health data warehouses in
the United States and a pioneer in
the use of a secure cloud platform with more than 8.7 million
de-identified patient records. The five-year old research
enterprise is also one of the first and largest programs in the
country to integrate personalized genomic information with clinical
data via a research biobank. CCPM physicians will validate any
genetic findings from the RGC data in their CLIA-certified lab,
enabling the return of clinically-actionable results to
patients.
"This collaboration will take an already notable program at the
CCPM and expand the depth and breadth of its capabilities, allowing
us to give more back to our patient participants than ever before,"
said Kathleen Barnes, Ph.D.,
Professor and Director of CCPM at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. "We
have made tremendous strides with our work in pharmacogenomics, but
having access to such a large genomic dataset that enables the
return of clinically actionable results will be transformative. Our
collaboration with the RGC will lead to an optimization of patient
care, using personalized results to better inform clinical decision
making, and potentially leading to new ways of diagnosing,
preventing and treating illnesses."
The RGC has built one of the world's largest genetics databases,
pairing the sequenced exomes and de-identified electronic health
records of more than one million people, through collaborations
with more than 80 global healthcare and academic institutions.
Building upon Regeneron's strengths in genetics-driven drug
discovery, the information secured from this initiative will allow
for the elucidation, on a large scale, of genetic factors that
cause or influence a range of human diseases.
"We're excited to collaborate with the CCPM and UCHealth to
further expand the RGC's large-scale genomics initiatives," said
Aris Baras, M.D., Senior Vice
President at Regeneron and Head of the Regeneron Genetics Center.
"In the search for new and improved medicines, as well as the
advancement of validated and improved risk scores in medicine, both
scale and quality of data matter. This partnership opens up new
doors for meaningful discovery, strengthens Regeneron's ability to
speed and improve the drug development process, and allows us to
work alongside other leaders in the advancement of genomic and
precision medicine."
The impressive scope of this effort is also thanks to the
wide-ranging footprint of UCHealth. Large numbers of the nonprofit
health care system's patients have consented to biobank
participation, more than half of whom live outside of the metro
Denver area and in neighboring
states like Nebraska and
Wyoming.
"Our patients are already benefitting from the remarkable work
of the CCPM which is allowing providers to use genomics to make
more accurate diagnoses and precisely tailor treatment to
individual patients," said Richard
Zane, M.D., UCHealth Chief Innovation Officer, who is also
the Professor and Chair of emergency medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. "This
partnership will help drive the health care discoveries of tomorrow
and realize the full potential of precision medicine. We so
appreciate our patients who have consented to participate and
without whom discovery would not be possible."
About The RGC-Colorado Center for Personalized Medicine
Research Collaboration
The RGC and CCPM will create a
comprehensive, large-scale genomics database comprising
approximately 450,000 fully annotated, whole exome sequences for
discovery research and to support patient care at UCHealth. The
goal of the partnership is to leverage de-identified genetic
information from consenting patients with large sets of
corresponding medical data that will ultimately build a warehouse
of information useful for the discovery of genetic factors that
could inform clinical care. For the newly-established CCPM, this
enterprise will exponentially expand biobank research
capabilities.
About the University of Colorado
Anschutz Medical Campus
The University
of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is a world-class medical
destination at the forefront of transformative science, medicine,
education, and patient care. The campus encompasses the
University of Colorado health
professional schools, more than 60 centers and institutes, and two
nationally ranked hospitals that treat more than 2 million adult
and pediatric patients each year. Innovative, interconnected and
highly collaborative, together we deliver life-changing treatments,
patient care, professional training, and conduct world-renowned
research powered by more than $550
million in research awards. For more information, visit
www.cuanschutz.edu.
About Regeneron
Regeneron (NASDAQ: REGN) is a leading
biotechnology company that invents life-transforming medicines for
people with serious diseases. Founded and led for over 30 years by
physician-scientists, our unique ability to repeatedly and
consistently translate science into medicine has led to seven
FDA-approved treatments and numerous product candidates in
development, all of which were homegrown in our laboratories. Our
medicines and pipeline are designed to help patients with eye
diseases, allergic and inflammatory diseases, cancer,
cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, pain, infectious diseases
and rare diseases.
Regeneron is accelerating and improving the traditional drug
development process through our proprietary
VelociSuite® technologies, such as
VelocImmune® which uses unique
genetically-humanized mice to produce optimized fully-human
antibodies and bispecific antibodies, and through ambitious
research initiatives such as the Regeneron Genetics Center, which
is conducting one of the largest genetics sequencing efforts in the
world.
For additional information about the company, please visit
www.regeneron.com or follow @Regeneron on Twitter.
Regeneron Forward-Looking Statements and Use of Digital
Media
This press release includes forward-looking
statements that involve risks and uncertainties relating to future
events and the future performance of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals,
Inc. ("Regeneron" or the "Company"), and actual events or results
may differ materially from these forward-looking statements. Words
such as "anticipate," "expect," "intend," "plan," "believe,"
"seek," "estimate," variations of such words, and similar
expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking
statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain
these identifying words. These statements concern, and these
risks and uncertainties include, among others, the impact of
SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that has caused the COVID-19 pandemic) on
Regeneron's business and its employees, collaborators, suppliers,
and other third parties on which Regeneron relies, Regeneron's and
its collaborators' ability to continue to conduct research and
clinical programs, Regeneron's ability to manage its supply chain,
net product sales of products marketed by Regeneron and/or its
collaborators (collectively, "Regeneron's Products"), and the
global economy; the nature, timing, and possible success and
therapeutic applications of Regeneron's Products and Regeneron\'s
product candidates and research and clinical programs now underway
or planned, as well as the use of human genetics in Regeneron's
research programs; the extent to which the results from the
research and development programs conducted by Regeneron and/or its
collaborators (such as Regeneron's collaboration with the Colorado
Center for Personalized Medicine at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
discussed in this press release) may lead to advancement of
product candidates to clinical trials or therapeutic applications;
the likelihood, timing, and scope of possible regulatory approval
and commercial launch of Regeneron's product candidates and new
indications for Regeneron's Products; unforeseen safety issues
resulting from the administration of Regeneron's Products and
product candidates in patients, including serious complications or
side effects in connection with the use of Regeneron's Products and
product candidates in clinical trials; determinations by regulatory
and administrative governmental authorities which may delay or
restrict Regeneron's ability to continue to develop or
commercialize Regeneron's Products and product candidates; ongoing
regulatory obligations and oversight impacting Regeneron's
Products, research and clinical programs, and business, including
those relating to patient privacy and the use of genomic
data as discussed in this press release; uncertainty of
market acceptance and commercial success of Regeneron's Products
and product candidates and the impact of studies (whether conducted
by Regeneron or others and whether mandated or voluntary) on the
commercial success of Regeneron's Products and product candidates;
the availability and extent of reimbursement of Regeneron's
Products from third-party payers, including private payer
healthcare and insurance programs, health maintenance
organizations, pharmacy benefit management companies, and
government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid; coverage and
reimbursement determinations by such payers and new policies and
procedures adopted by such payers; competing drugs and product
candidates that may be superior to Regeneron's Products and product
candidates; the ability of Regeneron to manufacture and manage
supply chains for multiple products and product candidates; the
ability of Regeneron's collaborators, suppliers, or other third
parties (as applicable) to perform manufacturing, filling,
finishing, packaging, labeling, distribution, and other steps
related to Regeneron's Products and product candidates;
unanticipated expenses; the costs of developing, producing, and
selling products; the ability of Regeneron to meet any of its
financial projections or guidance and changes to the assumptions
underlying those projections or guidance; the potential for any
license or collaboration agreement, including Regeneron's
agreements with Sanofi, Bayer, and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries
Ltd. (or their respective affiliated companies, as applicable) to
be cancelled or terminated without any further product success; and
risks associated with intellectual property of other parties and
pending or future litigation relating thereto (including without
limitation the patent litigation and other related proceedings
relating to Dupixent® (dupilumab) and
Praluent® (alirocumab)), other litigation and other
proceedings and government investigations relating to the Company
and/or its operations, the ultimate outcome of any such proceedings
and investigations, and the impact any of the foregoing may have on
Regeneron's business, prospects, operating results, and financial
condition. A more complete description of these and other material
risks can be found in Regeneron's filings with the U.S. Securities
and Exchange Commission, including its Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2019 and its Form 10-Q
for the quarterly period ended March
31, 2020. Any forward-looking statements are made
based on management's current beliefs and judgment, and the reader
is cautioned not to rely on any forward-looking statements made by
Regeneron. Regeneron does not undertake any obligation to update
publicly any forward-looking statement, including without
limitation any financial projection or guidance, whether as a
result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
Regeneron uses its media and investor relations website and
social media outlets to publish important information about the
Company, including information that may be deemed material to
investors. Financial and other information about Regeneron is
routinely posted and is accessible on Regeneron's media and
investor relations website (http://newsroom.regeneron.com) and its
Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/regeneron).
Regeneron Media Relations
Alexandra Bowie
Tel: +1
(914) 847-3407
alexandra.bowie@regeneron.com
Regeneron Investor Relations
Mark Hudson
Tel: +1 (914)
847-3482
Mark.hudson@regeneron.com
University of Colorado Anschutz
Medical Campus Media Relations
Kelsea Pieters
Tel: +1 (804) 314-1360
kelsea.pieters@cuanschutz.edu
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SOURCE Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.