10,000 investigators now have access to the latest genetic
scanning technologies
Phoenix, AZ, June 17, 2005-The Translational Genomics Research
Institute (TGen) today announced the receipt of a $7.1 million
grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to continue a
project designed to uncover the genetic causes of neurological and
mental health disorders using sophisticated genetic scanning
technologies. This award is part of a greater $25 million grant
that TGen will share with three other microarray centers that are
part of the NIH Neuroscience Microarray Consortium supported by the
NIH Neuroscience Blueprint
(http://neuroscienceblueprint.nih.gov).
The Microarray Consortium was initially funded in 2002 by the
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS;
www.ninds.nih.gov) and the National Institute of Mental Health
(NIMH; www.nimh.nih.gov). The new award is supported by these two
institutes as well as the thirteen other NIH Neuroscience Blueprint
institutes. The consortium combines technology resources from TGen,
Duke University in Durham, NC, and the University of California in
Los Angeles. Because of the consortium's success and an expanding
need for consortium services in neuroscience, a fourth research
center, Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, will be added to
the program in June.
About 10,000 investigators from the 15 different NIH institutes
that are part of the NIH Neuroscience Blueprint will have access to
the technology and expertise within the consortium. These
investigators will be able to further their research through the
use of microarray technology used for scanning through the entire
human genome (3 billion letters) and all of the genes for which it
encodes (30,000-40,000 genes).
"The application of the newest and most sophisticated genome
scanning technologies will allow us to unlock the mysteries of how
the brain functions normally, as well as what causes common human
disorders like Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, and
others," said Dr. Dietrich A. Stephan, Director of the
Neurogenomics Division at the Translational Genomics Research
Institute.
Genomic scanning technologies make use of the human genome
sequence to visualize how gene flavors or aberrant amounts of genes
can cause human disease. The consortium centers specialize in
technologies which provide information about the genes turned on or
off in the diseased tissues being studied. Scientists use these
microarray technologies to compare genetic patterns between an
individual with a disease and an unaffected person. Using this
information, investigators can identify the root causes responsible
for certain disorders so that diagnostics and treatments can be
developed that have a direct impact on the disease
mechanisms.
The Microarray Consortium initially received $9 million from the
NIH from June 2002 to June 2005, and the new funding will be
approximately $25 million over the next five years.
"It is exciting to have the microarray consortium expanded in
capacity and expertise to serve the entire community of
neuroscientists funded by NIH institutes. The application of
genomic technologies in neuroscience is an important step in the
development of future therapies for diseases and disorders of the
nervous system," said Dr. Thomas Miller, Program Director of
Extramural Research Programs at the NINDS.
The consortium worked with 5 AM solutions, a software development
company in Phoenix, to create a central database for data generated
by the consortium. These data are freely available so the entire
scientific community can benefit from this publicly funded
endeavor.
The Neuroscience Blueprint institutes are components of the
National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland and are the
nation's primary supporters of basic and applied biomedical
research on the brain and nervous system. Additional information
about the NIH Neuroscience Microarray Consortium can be accessed at
http://arrayconsortium.tgen.org.
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About TGen
The mission of the Translational Genomics Research Institute
(TGen) 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 and applying them to the development of diagnostics,
prognostics and therapies for cancer, neurological disorders,
diabetes and other complex diseases. TGen is focused on
personalized medicine and plans to accomplish its goals through
robust and disease-focused research programs and its
state-of-the-art bioinformatics and computational biology
facilities.
About Duke
The consortium's site at Duke University will operate in concert
with the Institute for Genome Sciences and Policy (IGSP). The IGSP,
established in 2000 with $200 million in institutional funds,
represents Duke University's comprehensive response to the broad
challenges of the genomic revolution. IGSP activities are organized
through five research centers: the Center for Genome Technology,
the Center for Human Genetics, the Center for Human Disease Models,
the Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology and the
Center for Genome Ethics, Law and Policy.
About UCLA
The UCLA Department of Human Genetics provides a world-class
research and teaching focal point for campus-wide activities in
human genetics and gene therapy. Hailing from the School of
Medicine and the College of Letters and Science, the department's
diverse faculty is housed in the Gonda Research Center, which
offers specialized core laboratories for sequencing and genotyping,
array technology, FISH techniques and bioinformatics.
About Yale
The scientific interests of the faculty at Yale represent the full
range of the broad and rapidly growing field of neuroscience.
Leaders in areas ranging from the genetic and structural analysis
of single member channels to the functional characterization of the
neocortex are represented among this group of outstanding
scientists. The interdisciplinary research programs of Yale
neuroscience faculty are central to Yale's Interdepartmental
Neuroscience Program (INP). This unique, broad-based training
program can best be described as a "department without walls," with
the primary purpose of providing students with a maximum of
diversity and depth in the most important areas of neuroscience
research. The neuroscience faculty members at Yale command more
than half of the University's biomedical research budget and occupy
more than 60,000 square feet of well-equipped laboratory
space.
About 5 AM Solutions
5AM provides software solutions and technology services for the
biomedical research industry. Life science organizations who view
data organization, workflow optimization, analysis and data mining,
and geographically independent collaboration as critical to their
success are our target customers. Our web-based, interoperable
solutions access Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS),
support HIPAA guidelines and enforce 21 CFR 11-compliance, while
granting insight into the complex data produced by the "omic"
revolution represent the core of our expertise. We share a common
passion to advance medicine and science through our contribution of
state-of-the-art software development. www.5amsolutions.com
Media Contacts:
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Amy Erickson (602) 343-8522