BioWorld International Correspondent

LONDON - The UK biotechnology industry gathered at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge last week to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the structure of DNA, and to assess the contribution that has made to the commercial development of the sector.

Also in London, at a separate golden jubilee celebration, was James Watson, president of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York, who, with partner Francis Crick, cracked the code, announcing the double helix structure of DNA on April 25, 1953. While biotech executives described the practical ways their companies are applying DNA technology, Watson and other leading molecular biologists outlined what the next 50 years of DNA research could hold.

"Human progress comes from knowledge," Watson said. "We have not only to accumulate it, but to use it. Right now many people think it is somehow immoral if we use genetics to try to enhance ourselves. I think we should be allowed to try to improve human life."

He added that he finds U.S. President George Bush's attitude toward genetics and therapeutic cloning "disappointing."

Watson predicted that in this century there will be a coming together of biology and psychology. "We will begin to find out how genes affect behavior." If he was starting his career again, Watson said he would choose neurobiology rather than molecular biology as his specialty

The DNA50 celebrations came just after the completion of the Human Genome Project, and as Alec Jeffreys, the inventor of genetic fingerprinting, noted, coincided with the 30th anniversary of the discovery of recombinant DNA and the 25th anniversary of the discovery of variation in the human genome. "This [variation] is exploited in DNA fingerprinting, which has touched the lives of ordinary people more than any discoveries related to the discovery of the structure of DNA," Jeffries said.

Biotech executives described other applications of DNA that are about to make an impact in medicine and health. Paul Drayson, CEO of PowderJect Pharmaceuticals plc, said the genetic era of vaccine technology is about to begin. Within the next 18 months PowderJect, based in Oxford, will have eight DNA vaccines in clinical trials, including treatments for cancer, HIV, herpes simplex infections and hepatitis B.

"We believe that DNA vaccines are the future of the vaccine industry, and so are investing heavily in the paradigm shift," Drayson said.

Similarly, Ken Powell, CEO of Arrow Therapeutics Ltd. in London, described how his company is applying whole-genome screening to develop novel anti-infectives. Arrow's technology allows it to identify all the genes that are essential for survival of a particular microorganism in a single experiment. "Only a third of genes are needed for the average bug to grow," he said. "We can then draw up a short list of the best 20 to 30 targets."

That has enabled Arrow to expedite the discovery process. Its first compound, against respiratory syncytial virus, will start clinical trials later this year, just over three years after target discovery began.

Mark Edwards, chief technical officer of Oxagen Ltd. in Abingdon, a genomics specialist, outlined how the company has used its large family-based clinical collections to discover genes for common chronic diseases including osteoporosis and Type II diabetes. They could form the basis for novel diagnostics.

"You could do genetic screens at birth to map risk factors, and then provide lifestyle advice, say which drugs to avoid, and identify people who need regular checks for long-term degenerative diseases," Edwards said.

These celebrations, and other DNA at 50 events, have been used by the UK government to promote UK bioscience and encourage inward investment in the sector. In a foreword to a government publication, "DNA and after," Prime Minister Tony Blair writes, "The UK government recognizes that biotechnology is a key industry for jobs and future prosperity as well as our well-being. We are working hard to create the best possible environment for it to grow and flourish."