The BioEconomy has provided new jobs, new technologies and new treatments to a growing population. Corey Goodman will address the forces that are working to realign the promise of biotechnology during the closing plenary session at the BioEconomy Summit on June 25 at Santa Clara University. Goodman spoke to The Burrill Report’s Daniel Levine about the pressures on the bioeconomy, what needs to be done to make sure it continues to grow, and why policymakers should care about its future health.

California’s elected officials this week proposed to remove the 10-year extension on Net Operating Losses, dealing a potential setback to the research and development of new treatments and cures in the Golden State. In an opinion editorial to the San Jose Mercury News, BayBio President Matt Gardner called the legislative efforts a false choice that could severely hinder the State’s competitive bid to retain and attract new life sciences companies. Read the OpEd here.

Perlegen Sciences, Inc., located in Mountain View, is a leader in discovering clinically important genetic variations that affect patients' drug response and predisposition to disease. The company is commercializing these discoveries to provide diagnostic tests that will give physicians additional information based on patients' genetics that then enables them to make better treatment decisions.

The ultimate goal of each of Perlegen's programs is to provide patients, physicians and payers with reliable, accurate and medically actionable information. With this goal in mind, the company selects clinical opportunities where large, clearly identified patient populations have significant unmet medical need; where additional data would provide considerable support for case-by-case clinical decision-making; and where genetics likely play a role in patient variability. The company's current programs target genetic markers that help doctors assess breast cancer risk and diagnosis, heart attack lifetime risk, and smoking addiction and cessation.

In addition to improving health and prolonging lives through its clinical genetic testing programs, Perelgen aims to help ease the strains on the healthcare system by making it easier for scarce healthcare resources to be allocated where they can have the biggest impact. As genetic information reveals which patients are most likely to respond to which treatments or require services from particular specialists, resources can be matched accordingly, without increased costs.

Perlegen's programs are built on leading technology and a robust analytic approach. The company has an unmatched capacity for high-throughput genetic analysis, along with access to large amounts of reliable clinical data that can be connected to treatment outcomes. The volume and quality of these data allow Perlegen to answer questions that lead to better care for patients.

• Perlegen Sciences, Inc.

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