Google-backed genetic testing company 23andMe is launching its own drug development unit, betting that it can translate its database of customer DNA information into novel medicines. The Silicon Valley-based company announced yesterday that it hired Richard Scheller, a former Genentech executive, to become its chief scientist and lead the company's research and development efforts. Scheller recently retired from a 14-year career with South San Francisco, California-based Genentech, a pioneer of biotech cancer drugs. 23andMe is best known for its saliva-based test kits, which offer users the chance to peek into their genetic code for clues about their ancestral past. But drug research has always been at the foundation of its business model. Much the way social media websites sell advertisers access to their user networks, 23andMe licenses the raw data from its DNA database to researchers. The company has more than 20 partnerships with drug companies including Pfizer and Roche, as well as with government and academic researchers.
