NEW YORK – Invitae said Wednesday that it has partnered with investment firm Deerfield Management in a data analysis effort aimed at identifying new rare disease drug targets.
The companies intend to study data from over 3.6 million genetic tests delivered by Invitae, which include sizable cohorts of rare disease patients. Test results in the firm's database are linked to longitudinal clinical data in accordance with patients' preferences for sharing of their information.
"Our genetic and clinical data platform is highly enriched with patients possessing rare disorders, enabling a deeper understanding of the natural history and genetic basis of these diseases, and improving the success rate of new clinical programs," Farid Vij, Invitae's general manager of patient network and data, said in a statement.
Matt Nelson, head of genetics and genomics at Deerfield, cited the investment firm's experience in rare disease drug discovery, adding that the company believes the partnership could lead to development of new therapies for a range of currently untreatable conditions.
Financial terms of the collaboration were not disclosed.