/ BAILLIE GIFFORD /
one of Scottish Mortgage’s largest
investments, was first bought
in 2011 on the conviction that
genomics, and its application,
would drive down costs and
improve clinical outcomes, and
that Illumina would be the likely
winner in this field.
Scottish Mortgage’s portfolio
includes other companies
that are helping to transform
medicine – Myriad Genetics, the
molecular diagnostic company,
Genomic Health, which makes
diagnostic tests for cancer, and
Bluebird Bio, which develops
genetic therapies. “Here is
a combination of proven
technology, which has driven
down the cost of sequencing and
is now being used in medical
applications to drive the genetics
market,” Slater says.
As investors, the emphasis is on
helping management to achieve
their longer-term goals. When
choosing an investment, Slater
and Anderson consider where
the business is likely to be in the
next five years. “We believe in
the patien B&