Taking Genomic Data Global

Colon cancer is less common in India than in the U.S., but it tends to affect younger people and to be more aggressive when it does occur. Indians with colon cancer also have different genetic mutations from the ones affecting patients who have been studied in Western countries, and whose information is the basis of most published data on the disease. A vegetarian diet may help explain the overall statistics, but why do some Indians develop a more serious form of the disease at a younger age?

Doctors suspect that differences in the genome may help explain how colon cancer expresses itself in the two groups. A startup called Global Gene Corp plans to study Indian patients’ genomes to find out what those links may be and whether they yield clues to better treatment.

The company will analyze patients’ DNA as well as the genomics of their cancer cells, using algorithms to identify treatment options for individuals—as well as broader trends. Aggregate data could be relevant for pharmaceutical companies looking to develop new medicines, and for policy makers, too....