Quotient's Somatic Genomics platform reveals
new approaches to treat disease based on the vast genetic variation
present in the body's trillions of cells
Company emerges from stealth after two years
of platform development with an initial commitment of $50 million from Flagship Pioneering
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Nov. 21,
2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Flagship Pioneering,
the bioplatform innovation company, today unveiled Quotient
Therapeutics, a company pioneering somatic genomics, the study of
genetic variation at the cellular level, to discover therapeutics
informed by new links between genes and disease. Flagship has made
an initial commitment of $50 million
to advance development of the company's platform following two
years of development at Flagship Labs and pursue a pipeline of
medicines across a wide range of therapeutic areas and
modalities.
"The assumption that we each have a single genome turns out to
be off by a trillion-fold," said Geoffrey
von Maltzahn, Ph.D., Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer
of Quotient Therapeutics and General Partner, Flagship Pioneering.
"All cells accumulate random genetic changes in their DNA,
resulting in trillions of unique genomes in the body. Some genetic
changes make a cell resistant or vulnerable to disease, while
others can cause disease. We started Quotient to study the natural
genetics library inside every tissue, discover gene variants that
are beneficial, neutral, or disease-causing, and to harness that
knowledge to develop the medicines of tomorrow."
Quotient's Somatic Genomics platform utilizes proprietary single
molecule, genome sequencing technology to reveal the extensive
variation encoded in the somatic genome at unprecedented
resolution. Created by Flagship scientists in partnership with
leading geneticists at the Wellcome Sanger Institute and the
University of Texas Southwestern, this
platform is able to study natural selection at the cellular level
through four steps: phenotyping of cells from clinical tissue
samples, isolation, single cell genotyping, and computation. As a
result, naturally selected genes, proteins, and pathways are
identified as prospective targets for the development of
transformative therapies intended to cure, prevent, or reverse
disease. Quotient's approach will enable the development of
first-in-class drugs across a broad range of modalities and
therapeutic areas, including immune disease, cardiometabolic
disease, infectious disease, oncology, neurodegenerative disease,
rare disease, and aging.
Jacob Rubens, Ph.D., Co-Founder
and President of Quotient Therapeutics and Origination Partner,
Flagship Pioneering added, "At Quotient, we're inspired by the
maxim that 'Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of
evolution.' Our Somatic Genomics platform measures genetic changes
underlying the evolution of cells in the body to make sense of
disease, illuminating the path to a wide range of potentially
curative medicines. Already, we've created the world's largest
somatic genomes dataset, demonstrated the applicability of our
platform to multiple therapeutic areas, and translated our genetic
discoveries into drug discoveries."
Noubar Afeyan, Ph.D., Founder and
CEO, Flagship Pioneering and Co-Founder and Strategic Oversight
Board Chairman, Quotient Therapeutics, remarked, "One of the
defining characteristics of the modern era of genetics has been the
systematic comparison of people's genomes. Today, we stand at the
precipice of a new era, enabled by the comparison of the trillions
of genomes inside each one of us. Genetics has already created
tremendous advances in human health, and Quotient is pioneering the
next big leap forward."
Academic co-founders of Quotient include Professor Sir
Mike Stratton, MD, PhD, Inigo
Martincorena, PhD, and Peter
Campbell, PhD, from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, and Hao
Zhu, MD, from University of Texas
Southwestern. In addition to von Maltzahn and Rubens, Quotient is
led by Scott Hayton, Ph.D., Acting
Chief Operating Officer, Caroline
Fox, M.D., MPH, Senior Vice President, Head of Genetics
and Target Discovery, and Simon Brunner, Ph.D., Co-Founder and
Head of Platform. Quotient is co-located in Cambridge, MA and Cambridge, UK with research facilities in both
cities.
To learn more about Quotient Therapeutics visit
www.quotient-tx.com.
About Quotient Therapeutics
Quotient Therapeutics is the first company to systematically
study the genetic variation and evolution of the trillions of cells
inside the human body. The company's Somatic Genomics platform
reveals novel links between genes and disease across a broad range
of therapeutic areas, enabling the discovery of transformative
medicines intended to cure, prevent, or reverse disease. Founded by
Flagship Pioneering in 2022, Quotient is backed by experts in the
field of somatic genetics.
About Flagship Pioneering
Flagship Pioneering is a biotechnology company that invents and
builds platform companies, each with the potential for multiple
products that transform human health or sustainability. Since its
launch in 2000, Flagship has originated and fostered more than 100
scientific ventures, resulting in more than $90 billion in aggregate value. To date, Flagship
has deployed over $3.4 billion in
capital toward the founding and growth of its pioneering companies
alongside more than $26 billion of
follow-on investments from other institutions. The current Flagship
ecosystem comprises 41 companies, including Denali
Therapeutics (NASDAQ: DNLI), Foghorn
Therapeutics (NASDAQ:
FHTX), Generate:Biomedicines, Inari, Indigo
Agriculture, Moderna (NASDAQ: MRNA), Omega
Therapeutics (NASDAQ: OMGA), Sana
Biotechnology (NASDAQ: SANA), Seres
Therapeutics (NASDAQ: MCRB) and Tessera Therapeutics.
Media Contact:
press@flagshippioneering.com
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SOURCE Flagship Pioneering
