Decoding DNA in Cambridge

Slavé Petrovski, vice president of AstraZeneca’s Centre for Genomics Research, celebrates DNA Day by delving into the world of genomics

DNA Day – 25 April – marks the important role DNA plays in science, health and medicine. The day offers an opportunity to reflect on the significant advancements that have been made in understanding our genetic makeup from the 1953 discovery of the double helix structure at the University of Cambridge’s Cavendish Laboratory to the 2003 completion of the Human Genome Project, which mapped all the genes in human DNA.

Cambridge remains a hotspot for genomic research – and AstraZeneca is proud to be amongst the organisations leading the way in this rapidly advancing field.

Slavé Petrovski, vice president of AstraZeneca’s Centre for Genomics Research, celebrates DNA Day by delving into the world of genomics and exploring how research happening in Cambridge has the potential to transform the way we understand and ultimately treat disease.

We are our genetic make-up

Genomics is the study of all the genetic material in our bodies and analyses how our genes interact with each other and the environment to contribute to health and disease. Over recent decades, research in genomics has revolutionised our understanding of health by identifying factors that can impact the risk of diseases which is valuable information that can be used to support the discovery of innovative medicines to treat and prevent diseases.

Evidence-backed genomic innovation

AstraZeneca’s Centre for Genomics Research, based at The Discovery Centre (DISC) on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, is at the forefront of integrating human genetics into drug discovery. We are guided by the belief that the therapeutic strategies we develop should be informed by data that reflects patient communities around the world and that targets with genetic data can have more than double the chances of success than those without (Minikel EV, et al. Refining the impact of genetic evidence on clinical success. Nature. 2024;629:624–629. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07316-0).

Our Genomics Initiative global partners network encompasses more than 60 partnerships spanning 19 countries, providing access to anonymised genomic data and matched clinical insights from more than 1.5 million research participants.

With this scale of data at our fingertips, our scientists decode the effects of rare genetic variants – changes in genes that occur infrequently in the population but can have large effects on health and disease. Equipped with these insights, we are developing therapies that are informed by human biology and designed to tackle the root causes of disease.

From uncovering novel drug targets and biomarkers to tailoring treatments and informing diagnostics, the benefits have the potential to be significant and far-reaching. And by harnessing the power of AI, we are beginning to recognise the potential of genomics in helping to identify whether individuals are more likely to have and be diagnosed with certain diseases.

For instance, our Cambridge-developed AI research tool, MILTON, combines genomic information with data from proteins and clinical biomarkers to find disease patterns and risk factors for over 1,000 diseases – often several years before they are clinically diagnosed (Garg M, et al. Disease prediction with multi-omics and biomarkers empowers case–control genetic discoveries in the UK Biobank. Nat Genet. 2024;56:1821–1831).

This has the potential to help us detect diseases earlier, opening new possibilities for disease prevention and early intervention.

Exceptional science thrives through collaboration

To drive genomic research forward, we collaborate with our neighbours in Cambridge, including leading institutions such as the Wellcome Sanger Institute and the University of Cambridge to unlock new discoveries and deepen our understanding of novel biology.

Innovative cross-sector partnerships focused on the rapidly advancing field of functional genomics enable us to dig deeper into the molecular mechanisms of disease to inform medical research. In 2019, we established the Functional Genomics Centre (FGC), a unique collaboration with Cancer Research UK's innovation arm, Cancer Research Horizons, focused on accelerating the discovery of new cancer treatments.

Building on the success of the FGC and to further boost genomics innovation in the UK, we recently opened the Functional Genomics Screening Laboratory (FGSL) in collaboration with the Medical Research Council (MRC) and the Milner Therapeutics Institute, University of Cambridge. This state-of-the-art laboratory is part of the UK’s Human Functional Genomics Initiative and aims to fast-track drug discovery for chronic conditions including cardiovascular, inflammatory, respiratory and metabolic diseases.

Both partnerships democratise access to advanced technologies such as genome editing tools for researchers across the UK.

As Professor Sir Tony Kouzarides, director of the Milner Therapeutics Institute, highlights: "This collaboration with the MRC and AstraZeneca is a fantastic example of what can be achieved when academia and industry share expertise and resources, and I’m excited by the FGSL’s potential to deliver new diagnostics and treatments to people with chronic diseases."

Genomic research has advanced our understanding of complex human biology at an unprecedented rate. This DNA Day we honour the Cambridge scientists of the past and of today, who are harnessing genomics to develop the transformative medicines of tomorrow.

Learn more about how we are unlocking the power of what science can do at www.astrazeneca.co.uk

This article was created and funded by AstraZeneca. GB-66234. Date of preparation: April 2025.