October 13, 2006

Genetic Database That Matches Drugs to Illnesses May Speed New Therapies

By SUSAN BROWN

A new database that matches drugs to illnesses based on how human genes respond to the medications may speed the discovery of new therapies. The Web-based tool, developed in a collaboration between two universities, has already revealed promising leads for treating cancers.

The system, called the Connectivity Map, was developed by researchers at the Broad Institute, a joint project of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University. It works like an Internet search