A New Team

Genentech and 23andMe are collaborating on a study to determine genetic influences on how breast cancer patients respond to bevacizumab, also known as Avastin, reports Erika Check Hayden at the Nature News blog. She adds that FDA recently revoked the approval for Avastin to be used to treat certain breast cancers. As our sister publication Pharmacogenomics Reporter noted at that time, Genentech said it was planning to conduct a clinical trial to find biomarkers that would identify breast cancer patients who would respond to the drug. Now, Genentech and 23andMe are recruiting people diagnosed with metastatic or recurrent breast cancer and who have been treated with bevacizumab for their new study. "23andMe has been increasingly turning towards research studies as consumer demand for its services has plateaued," Check Hayden adds.