BioCentury
ARTICLE | Strategy

PCR meets GeneChips

February 10, 2003 8:00 AM UTC

When Roche acquired Boehringer Mannheim in 1997, the idea was to combine therapeutics and diagnostics to deliver point-of-care genotyping and, ultimately, personalized medicine. The idea was hot at the time, as Genaissance Pharmaceuticals Inc. was founded in the same year to develop personalized medicine; SmithKline Beecham plc and Incyte Pharmaceuticals Inc. formed diaDexus Inc. to develop molecular diagnostics; and Millennium Pharmaceuticals Inc. formed Millennium Predictive Medicine to apply MLNM's genomics platform to develop products to diagnose, treat, manage and prevent disease.

As with many intellectually compelling ideas, practical progress has been slow. But three deals this year are a sign of renewed interest. ...