23andMe Holding Co. (NASDAQ:ME) ("23andMe") today announced a new, non-exclusive data license with GSK plc (NYSE:GSK) which extends their collaboration and enables GSK to conduct drug target discovery and other research using the 23andMe database, the world's largest recontactable resource of genetic and phenotypic information from consented participants. Under an amendment to their Collaboration Agreement, 23andMe will receive a $20 million upfront payment for a one year, non-exclusive data license. The license will also include access to certain services such as further analyses of the 23andMe data not provided in the core data release.

 

"We've had an incredibly successful collaboration with GSK over the past five years, and we are excited to continue our work together," said Anne Wojcicki, CEO and Co-Founder, 23andMe. "With approximately 50 programs developed over the last five years, we are thrilled to work with GSK in discovering genetically validated targets. The continued relationship with GSK demonstrates the power of the 23andMe research platform to consistently produce novel insights for therapeutic development, rooted in human genetics."

Under terms of the new data license, 23andMe will provide GSK with access to de-identified, summary data from global genome- and phenome-wide analysis of the 23andMe database, for a 12-month period, and offer its research services for analyses of the data over that same period. Any new drug discovery programs that GSK chooses to initiate during the agreement will be owned and advanced solely by GSK. 23andMe may be eligible for downstream royalties under certain uses of the database by GSK. As part of the amendment, 23andMe is taking the royalty option on three programs previously initiated by the two companies, which GSK will independently advance, with 23andMe retaining certain rights to downstream royalties. 23andMe and GSK both retain royalties on a number of active programs developed under the initial collaboration.

"The 23andMe research database is constantly growing, which increases its power for therapeutic research over time," said Adam Auton, Vice President, Human Genetics at 23andMe. "We've also made significant strides to increase the power of our database by improving our imputation technology, utilizing whole genome sequencing data to dramatically increase the number of genetic variants that we're able to interrogate. In addition, we continue to expand our capabilities in deep phenotyping, artificial intelligence and machine learning, rare disease research, and developing recontactable cohorts in specific disease areas, all with the objective of more efficiently identifying drug targets that will hopefully be developed into new medicines."