AstraZeneca : 28 September 2016 Professor David Goldstein to lead AstraZeneca’s genomics initiative as Chief Adviser

Professor Goldstein will continue in his full-time role as Director of the Institute for Genomic Medicine, John E. Borne Professor and Professor of Genetics and Development at Columbia University Medical Center. He is renowned for his research on human genetic diversity, the genetics of disease and pharmacogenetics and will be responsible for driving the scientific progress of AstraZeneca's genomics initiative, created to transform drug discovery and development across the entire research and development pipeline.

Genomics is the study of the genome, which provides the full set of instructions needed to make every cell, tissue and organ in our bodies. In humans, the entire genome (more than three billion DNA base pairs) includes all of the genes that code for proteins and define our characteristics. Although most of the information in the genome is the same between individuals, there are small differences, which scientists believe can combine with environmental influences to cause diseases such as diabetes, asthma or cancer. Studying genome sequences across large populations allows us to develop innovative new treatments and target the right patients to the right medicines.