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Nano; No Net
Now on his own, Genaissance founder Ruano has big plans for thinking small
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Business New Haven
11/10/2003
By: BNH
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Gualberto Ruano, founder and until recently CEO of Genaissance Pharmaceuticals, left that Science Park company to start Genomas Inc., which he hopes will develop dynamic, programmable particles smaller than human cells. These particles could recognize and latch onto specific types of cells to monitor cellular activity or deliver medicines. Ruano intends to explore the use of markers to enhance human adaptation and performance. One area Ruano will focus on initially is obesity. "Diet, exercise, nutrition and appetite - all play a role in obesity and all are influenced by our genes," he says. "Only the systems approach of physiogenomics affords the required integration to prevent obesity."
How did Genomas come about?
Genomas is the first prevention company that uses genomic technologies - especially studies of the variability of genes and how people react to their environment. The technology of the company is based on the principle that genomic technologies can be applied to understand variability in genes as it relates to variability in response to diet, nutrition, exercise, environmental exposures, and to use that information to extract knowledge about the genes, involving response to the environment. For instance, if I give you different kinds of exercise conditioning, and I apply that to 200 people, what will happen is that after the training some people will do very well, and some people will not. If I give you one kind of diet, a low-carbohydrate diet, some people will lower their cholesterol and lose weight, while some others will see no result. Why? The reason is that there is variability in the genes of people that predicts their response. Genomics finds those genes and that variability and uses that information to 1) develop strategies to optimize prevention, with the market being managed care; and 2) create ways of modulating those genes so that you can enhance the response to the diet or exercise, with the market being diet and nutrition companies and fitness programs, etc. It really is cutting-edge science applied to prevention, with a very diverse market ranging from the HMOs to nutrition and diet companies.
That's a different mission from working to identify compounds to treat sick people.
[Disease] prevention is something that we have always said is good, but the fact is that [most] prevention efforts have had very mixed results at best. The reason is that [prevention] has received the kind of scientific attention that regular drugs receive, and so the science basis is somewhat anecdotal. Also, there hasn't been as much economic pressure to engage in prevention except for the obesity epidemic, which now really is driving a lot of prevention strategies.
How do you grow a science company from essentially an idea - as Genomas is today - to something that actually makes people's lives better?
You have to begin with the clinical research, and then partnerships with a variety of [research] centers that will be in a position to work with Genomas on getting these findings established in such a way that I have something to patent and then sell. The product of Genomas initially will be diagnostics. It is critical that the research to develop those diagnostics is in place. When I approach potential investors or partners, I can say, 'Here it is,' as opposed to, 'This is my idea.'
A newspaper article quoted you as saying, 'Before I go to investors, I need to have an outside institution involved.' Please explain.
There are a couple of possibilities. One would be a major medical center that works with Genomas on the exercise and nutritional aspects. The second possibility would be a strategic partnership with an HMO or managed-care organization that would purchase diagnostics from Genomas.
Do you think your old company, Genaissance, will be successful ultimately?
That's a good question. I think the fundamentals of that company are sound, and there are exciting developments with the FDA [the U.S. Food & Drug Administration] that [ultimately] will probably determine whether [it] will be successful or not. Genaissance has a business model that is based on revenue generation and services to the pharmaceutical sector, and they will keep doing that well. The FDA has taken new measures to embrace pharmacogenomics, or using DNA 'markers' for drug development, to make it more precise and safe. This is an excellent sign for the entire field of pharmacogenomics. So that's great for the future prospects for [Genaissance]. My own company is in a different world - the prevention field - so we don't deal with drugs. Nevertheless, the more we think about personalizing different kinds of life decisions - in the case of Genaissance, drugs; in the case of Genomas, nutrition and exercise - the more think about personalization based on DNA, the more we can utilize the genome to improve life and create new industries. That's what Genomas is all about.
You're a big believer in the future of nanotechnology. What exactly is it, and why are you optimistic about it?
The term 'nanotechnology' has been used loosely, frankly. What I talked about recently at UConn about nanotechnology and health care was very specific and relates to the use of these [nano]particles for medical applications. The medical applications that are most [promising] are using these particles for prosthetic devices that have specific proteins to reduce inflammations. You can structure these particles to have different properties that you couldn't do with other kinds of matter. My interest in nanotechnology lies in the fact that some of these same nanotechnologies in the future will be used to monitor physiological processes and to deliver medications in a very targeted manner. So the idea of the ultimate biosensor and biodispenser is what I find most exciting. That's for future research; it's not here now. We have to keep in mind that when we talk about personalizing [disease] prevention, we may be talking about some very, very tailored interventions that could be at the nano level and allow one to monitor physiological processes are levels of resolution that we never thought possible. I think of it as personalized delivery using nanotechnology but directed by genomics information.
How small, exactly, is 'nano'?
These particles are the same size as the cell. It's dealing with cellular processes on the scale that processes [take place] in nature.
Since the intellectual property of Genomas in mainly in your head, you could have started it anywhere. Why did you stay in New Haven, and why is New Haven a good place to start a science company.
My family is here; I have the connections to Yale University, and my colleagues in the industry are also here. Having said that, I think of Genomas as a statewide company. There is a lot of excitement in Connecticut in general, from the UConn campus to the Hartford area to the 'Knowledge Corridor' of I-91 between Springfield and Hartford, and also New Haven. Genomas will use the resources of the state in developing the intellectual property of the company - especially with regard to clinical collaborations where we look at different kinds of treatments based on exercise and nutrition. I'm a very strong advocate of Connecticut both in the high technology sector and in the arts, and I think this state is really a treasure. But at the present time Genomas is still a 'virtual' company. My goal is to go into a bricks-and-mortar setting in the spring. [To date] Genomas is self-funded. I will be looking for investors in the spring
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