Prnewswireยท2025-09-18 13:15Core Insights - Alnylam Pharmaceuticals has joined the Alliance for Genomic Discovery (AGD), which aims to accelerate drug discovery through clinical genomic data [1][2][3] - The AGD dataset will enhance Alnylam's ability to identify new therapeutic targets for RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutics, which work by silencing disease-causing genes [4][5] - The AGD now includes nine members, with Alnylam being the latest addition, and plans to expand its dataset by sequencing an additional 31,250 whole genomes, building on an existing cohort of 250,000 [3][5] Company and Industry Developments - The AGD is led by Illumina and Nashville Biosciences, focusing on leveraging genomic data to drive innovation in therapeutics [2][3] - Alnylam's participation is expected to strengthen the AGD's clinical genomic database, which aims to provide diverse and representative data for drug discovery [5][6] - The alliance has already identified novel therapeutic targets, particularly in autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases, demonstrating the dataset's value to its members [6][8] Technological Advancements - The AGD utilizes advanced sequencing and data analysis technologies, such as DRAGEN and Illumina Connected Analytics, to enhance the accuracy and speed of genomic insights [6][8] - The alliance plans to incorporate multiomic layers into its dataset, which will facilitate faster target discovery and therapy development [8] - The AGD dataset aims to link diverse genomic data with clinical phenotyping to ensure that discoveries benefit a wide range of populations [5][6]