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- Posted Thursday August 4, 2005
TGen and Northern Arizona University Awarded a Multi-million Dollar Grant to Identify Genetic Signatures of Pathogens
Research projects to be conducted utilizing Applied Biosystems
Real-Time PCR technology
Phoenix, AZ, August 4, 2005 - The Translational Genomics Research
Institute (TGen) and Northern Arizona University (NAU) today
announced the award of a multi-million dollar grant from the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services that encompasses several
projects, the first of which aims to improve the understanding and
management of sepsis and community acquired pneumonia (CAP). This
multi-year project is expected to further progress toward more
rapid and accurate tools for treating patients afflicted by these
deadly pathogens.
Sepsis and CAP are among the top ten leading causes of death for
most age groups worldwide, according to the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control. Every minute of every day, one person is dying
from sepsis in the U.S. and this number is projected to rise at a
rate of 1.5 percent per year. A 25 percent reduction in mortality
due to sepsis has the potential to save the lives of 50,000 people
in the U.S. and over 1 million individuals worldwide each year,
estimates the Institute for Healthcare Improvement.
"A major challenge facing health care providers in the successful
treatment of medical conditions such as sepsis and CAP is the
inability to rapidly and consistently diagnosis these conditions,"
said Dr. Paul Keim, Director of Pathogen Genomics at TGen and
Director of the Microbial Genetics and Genomics ABOR Center at
Northern Arizona University. "By coupling the genomic signature
analysis from our initial research to high-throughput assays we can
validate signatures very rapidly and accelerate the advancement of
this technology for improving public health."
Supported by Applied Biosystems (NYSE:ABI), this project aims to
discover pathogen-specific DNA signatures. These signatures will
then be used to design and validate Applied Biosystems TaqMan®
Real-time PCR assays for the accurate identification of these
life-threatening infections. Verification and validation in a
clinical laboratory setting will take place through the Laboratory
Services of Arizona (LSA) and the Banner Health System. In
addition, an informatics system will be developed for handling
assay data during the validation and eventually for handling
associated clinical data in a HIPAA compliant environment.
"Each day thousands of patients in our hospitals and around the
world are facing life-threatening situations caused by these
infections," said Dr. Ellen Feigal, Senior Vice President of
Research and Deputy Scientific Director of TGen. "This
public/private collaboration will accelerate more accurate
diagnoses and effective treatments for these patients."
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Media Contact: Amy Erickson (TGen) 602-343-8522
About TGen
TGen is a not-for-profit organization whose primary mission is to
make and translate genomic discoveries into advances in human
health. Translational genomics research is a relatively new field
employing innovative advances arising from the Human Genome Project
to apply to the development of diagnostics, prognostics and
therapies for cancer, neurological disorders, diabetes and other
complex diseases.
The Pathogen Genomics Division is a joint program between TGen and
Arizona's major universities, which results in a unified approach
to protecting America against dangerous pathogens, in particular
Bacillus anthracis (anthrax). Directed by Dr. Paul Keim, a leading
expert on anthrax, the division encompasses work in the areas of
comparative sequencing and computational biology.
About Northern Arizona University
Northern Arizona University (NAU) has a student population of about
18,000 at its main campus in Flagstaff and at 30 sites across the
state. NAU has earned a solid reputation as a university with all
the features of a large institution but with a personal touch. NAU
carefully balances teaching, scholarship and service with a faculty
and staff dedicated to each student's success. While our emphasis
is undergraduate education, we offer a wide range of graduate
programs and research that extend to such national concerns as
forest health and bioterrorism.
About Banner Health
Based in Phoenix, Banner Health is one of the largest, nonprofit
health care systems in the country. Banner has 20 facilities that
offer an array of services including hospital care, home care,
hospice care, nursing registries, surgery centers, laboratories,
and rehabilitation services. These facilities are located in seven
states - Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada,
and Wyoming. Banner employs nearly 26,000 employees, making it one
of the country's largest employers, as well. The company's Arizona
region, alone, employs nearly 19,000 people.
In addition to basic emergency and medical services, Banner Health
medical centers offer a variety of specialized services, including
heart care, cancer treatment, delivery of high-order multiple
births, organ transplants, bone marrow transplants, rehabilitation
services, and behavioral health services. Banner is also involved
in cutting-edge research aimed at helping patients suffering from
some of the most serious diseases and conditions, including spinal
cord injuries and Alzheimer's disease. For more information about
Banner Health, call the company's Corporate Communications office
at 602-495-4703.
