Innovators don’t just focus on what’s in front of them; they look toward the future and imagine what could be. The 21st century has brought incredible scientific advances, inspiring us to be fearless as we continue tackling bigger challenges and expanding the possibilities of modern medicine. Danaher and its businesses are partnering with leaders and change-makers with the courage to reimagine what’s possible. From tools improving dementia diagnostic capabilities to therapies for children with rare diseases, we’re driving tomorrow’s breakthroughs.
Tomorrow’s science today
Innovation is never easy. It requires the audacity to create a new path, one where we will encounter novel obstacles that demand both resourcefulness and bold imagination. But when we stand together, we can demonstrate the power of collaboration to push past barriers.
This was recently demonstrated when Danaher companies collaborated to develop the world’s first personalized gene-editing therapy. “Baby KJ” Muldoon was born with neonatal-onset CPS1 deficiency, a rare genetic disorder that causes ammonia to accumulate in the blood. This condition is often deadly and forces infants onto a low-protein diet that stunts their growth and threatens their well-being. KJ’s doctors at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Penn Medicine sought to treat this condition directly using the gene-editing technology known as CRISPR—and they were in a race against the clock. To design, manufacture and receive regulatory approval for a custom CRISPR therapy in time for KJ to benefit would require precise coordination across many organizations and hundreds of people.
Thanks to the close collaboration of Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT) and Aldevron, two Danaher businesses, the cross-disciplinary group was able to create a custom CRISPR therapy in just six months, dramatically shortening the typical 18-24 month development timeframe for gene editing therapies. Danaher businesses are working to make this remarkable success the new normal for families around the world.
In another lab, Danaher is partnering with researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis on a “Beacon“ collaboration that is focused on the other end of life’s spectrum: aging and dementia. Dementia encompasses a broad category of neurodegenerative conditions, and the burden of these diseases is expected to grow exponentially as the global population ages. Despite this growing urgency, diagnosing dementia remains a significant challenge—largely due to the inaccessibility of the central nervous system, where biopsies and exploratory surgeries are rarely viable. While brain scans and lumbar punctures can help detect some neurological diseases, reliable and accessible diagnostics for dementia-related diseases remain a largely unaddressed gap within the field.
We’re envisioning a new future for neurological diagnostics. With the recent completion of a large-scale proteomics study, the Danaher Beacon team at WashU has uncovered novel plasma biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease. Once discovered, researchers can use the predictive power of AI to solve molecular structures, allowing us to measure and detect these key proteins. Blood-based testing of neurological disease will dramatically enhance our ability to diagnose dementia-related conditions and improve the patient experience at every level. Blood-based diagnostics would allow the growing population of neurological patients to receive the testing they need in a comfortable, non-invasive – and more accurate – manner.
Collaborating for Real World Solutions
Advances like these make it clear that patients benefit when innovators come together to develop solutions with tangible results. Whether it’s translating academic discoveries into clinical benefits or developing CRISPR therapies in record time, Danaher is partnering with bold leaders to chart a path into the future—and everyone has a role to play. By coming together, we can deliver on daring innovations that improve outcomes and quality of life for people around the globe.
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