Most of the genomics pioneers fell short in their attempts to turn vast amounts of sequence data into drugs, as the task turned out to be far more complex than anyone imagined at the time. Now, more than a decade later, Amgen Inc. thinks it can succeed where one of those pioneers, deCode Genetics ehf, failed.

This month, Amgen proposed to acquire deCode for $415 million in cash. The deal includes genomic and clinical data from more than 140,000 Icelandic individuals along with deCode's proprietary algorithms and genealogy information on the entire population. The deal is expected to close by year end.