"This collaboration demonstrates our continued commitment to pain supporting our ambition to deliver four to five new products to patients in diseases with high unmet needs by 2022, as it is Grnenthal's first step into generating Big Data which plays an increasingly important role in drug development and is essential to drive innovation. One perspective in the context of precision medicine is to use human DNA as guidance for which drugs work best in which patients. We aim to use the outcome of the study to identify starting points for the development of innovative, highly effective medicines," emphasizes Gabriel Baertschi, CEO of the Grnenthal Group.

"Pain is a complex disease. As a worldwide leader in pain, we are continuously striving to expand the body of knowledge to offer solutions for those patients who don't have a treatment option today," said Klaus-Dieter Langner, Ph.D., CSO of the Grnenthal Group. "We are very much looking forward to working with our expert collaborators at 23andMe to learn about the causal relationship between genetic patterns and different aspects to pain. Ultimately, our goal is to research and develop innovative, highly effective medicines for patients in need," Langner concludes.

"The goal of this study is to understand genetic factors associated with the experience of pain and response to medications designed to alleviate pain," said Emily Drabant Conley, Ph.D., vice president of business development, 23andMe. "Pain is often a unique experience for each individual, and therefore complex to understand and treat. By leveraging large amounts of genetic and phenotypic data this study may help develop a more personalized approach to pain management."

The new 23andMe and Grnenthal study could shed more light on why individuals experience pain differently by understanding genetic factors associated with pain sensitivity, progression, severity, and response to treatments.

About 23andMe23andMe, Inc. is the leading personal genetics company. Founded in 2006, the mission of the company is to help people access, understand and benefit from the human genome. 23andMe has more than two million customers worldwide, with over 80 percent consented to participate in research. 23andMe, Inc. is located in Mountain View, CA. More information is available at http://www.23andMe.com

About Grnenthal The Grnenthal Group is an entrepreneurial, science-based pharmaceutical company specialized in pain, gout and inflammation. Our ambition is to deliver four to five new products to patients in diseases with high unmet medical need by 2022 and become a 2 billion company. We are a fully integrated research & development company with a long track record of bringing innovative pain treatments and state-of-the-art technologies to patients. By sustainably investing in our R&D above the industrial average, we are strongly committed to innovation.

Grnenthal is an independent, family-owned company headquartered in Aachen, Germany. We are present in 32 countries with affiliates in Europe, Latin America and the US. Our products are sold in more than 155 countries and approx. 5,500 employees are working for the Grnenthal Group worldwide. In 2016, Grnenthal achieved revenues of approx. 1.4 bn. More information: http://www.grunenthal.com

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/23andme-and-german-pain-specialist-grunenthal-explore-the-genetics-of-pain-to-help-identify-new-treatments-for-patients-300450454.html

SOURCE 23andMe, Inc.

https://www.23andme.com

Read more here:
23andMe and German Pain Specialist Grnenthal Explore the ... - PR Newswire (press release)