AI and facial diagnosis company FDNA sets up genomics coalition

Boston biotech FDNA has teamed up with several research organizations to create a consortium that will try to apply artificial intelligence and machine learning to the development of new medicines--and it's looking for other partners. The Genomics Collaborative launched with the aim of using computational techniques to analyze genotype and phenotype data and try to tease out physiological relationships that could lead to new drug targets and, it says, "help millions of undiagnosed patients globally". FDNA said it is making its AI and "deep learning" technologies--which can analyze (anonymously) data gleaned from diverse sources such as images, clinical notes and voice and video recordings--to organizations signing up to the program. So far, the offer has enticed South Carolina's Greenwood Genetic Center (GGC), Lausanne University Hospital in Switzerland and Seattle Children's Hospital to start research projects using FDNA's next-generation phenotyping or NGP platform. Two patient advocacy groups--Bridge the Gap representing patients with Fragile X, Angelman and other related syndromes as well as Kabuki syndrome group All Things Kabuki--have also come on board.