January 28, 2009: Illumina Inc. is supplying the “DNA microarray inside” for a deal between personal genetics company 23andMe Inc. and Swiss research company mondoBIOTECH AG announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

23andMe and mondoBIOTECH will work together to facilitate research of the genetic bases of rare and potentially fatal diseases, such as pulmonary arterial hypertension, sarcoidosis and pulmonary fibrosis, the genetics of which are poorly understood. According to a news release, mondoBIOTECH will identify individuals suffering from certain rare diseases and sponsor their enrollment in the 23andMe Personal Genome Service.

Researchers then will be able to study the genetic information collected, along with any phenotypic information provided, in clinical trials, to understand potential causes of these diseases. 23andMe will coordinate genome-wide association studies for mondoBIOTECH affiliates using its research infrastructure and bioinformatics expertise.

The Illumina DNA microarray analysis technology used by 23andMe enables the company to identify some custom markers. This feature helped the company select SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms), or variants that provide coverage of genes associated with drug response — information that is proving to be critical for the development of personalized medicine. In addition to having over half a million markers available for disease research, these “pharmacogenetic” indicators included in the 23andMe dataset could provide invaluable information for identifying treatment protocols, according to the release.