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- Posted Friday August 28, 2009
TGen, ASU's Biodesign Institute win top award for Arizona economic development innovation
Governor presents 'Excellence' award for Partnership for
Personalized Medicine; program draws investment to Arizona from
Luxembourg
PHOENIX, Ariz. - Aug. 28, 2009 - Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer today
presented a top award for economic development to the Translational
Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and the Biodesign Institute at
Arizona State University.
TGen and ASU's Partnership for Personalized Medicine won the 2009
Excellence in Economic Development award in the category of
Innovative Economic Development. This was the first award presented
by Gov. Brewer at today's 2009 Governor's Regional and Rural
Development Conference at the Wigwam Resort in Litchfield
Park.
The focus of the conference, presented by the Arizona Department
of Commerce and the Arizona Association for Economic Development,
was on preparing Arizona for economic recovery. The purpose of the
awards was to honor partnerships, organizations, associations,
service clubs, and companies, which have successfully created and
implemented community and economic development strategies in the
past year.
The Partnership for Personalized Medicine is a venture by TGen,
ASU's Biodesign Institute and Seattle's Fred Hutchinson Cancer
Research Center in partnership with the Government of Luxembourg to
speed new personalized healthcare treatments to patients, reduce
costs, create a European clinical research center, and bring
national and international investment to Arizona.
An alliance between Phoenix-based, non-profit TGen, ASU's
Biodesign Institute and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg was announced
in June 2008. By March 2009, an internationally recognized leader
in the storage and dissemination of biologic samples was hired to
lead the new Integrated Biobank of Luxembourg, and in April 2009, a
ceremonial groundbreaking marked the start of the Biobank's
construction.
So how does a new Biobank institution in far away Luxembourg
relate to economic development in Arizona?
Started in 2002, TGen has emerged as a national and international
powerhouse of scientific research into the molecular - DNA level -
causes and treatments of debilitating diseases of the heart, brain,
many forms of cancer and infectious diseases. That same year, ASU's
Biodesign Institute was launched to address some of the world's
most urgent problems affecting human health and the health of our
planet.
Both organizations are committed to attracting new investment
dollars to Arizona in an effort to enhance existing businesses,
spin-off new ones and generally catalyze Arizona's growing global
reputation as a leader in biomedical innovation.
In October 2007, the Virginia G. Piper Trust committed $35 million
and the Flinn Foundation contributed $10 million to establish the
Partnership for Personalized Medicine, comprised of these two
organizations, and engaged Nobel Laureate Lee Hartwell, director of
the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Institute to lead the effort
and serve as its third partner.
Luxembourg, with the world's highest per capita income, is a
European hub of international banking. Looking to diversify its
economy, its government was attracted to TGen's highly successful
model to become an explosive incubator of new ideas through
collaborations with hundreds of other research institutes, private
businesses and universities. Luxembourg sought out TGen, and TGen
recommended that the Partnership for Personalized Medicine engage
with them as well.
The Luxembourg partnership consists of three components:
-- The Integrated Biobank of Luxembourg, led by TGen, was created
to provide researchers worldwide with usable and reliable
biological samples, include cancer tumors, organ samples and
blood.
-- Luxembourg Project Lung Cancer, led jointly by the partners of
Arizona's Partnership for Personalized Medicine, is developing a
protein-based test for lung cancer with the goals of early
detection, revolutionary and improved patient treatments and
reduced healthcare costs.
-- The Center for Systems Biology Luxembourg, led by the Institute
for Systems Biology in Seattle, is tracking 100 individuals to see
how genes lead to diseases, and developing health tests based on
blood protein "fingerprints.''
As mentioned above, construction of the Integrated Biobank of
Luxembourg has begun, with operations starting out of temporary
quarters starting in July.
Luxembourg Project Lung Cancer will rely on the work of the
Partnership for Personalized Medicine, funded by Arizona's Virginia
G. Piper Charitable Trust and the Flinn Foundation.
Both TGen and the Biodesign Institute have also been rapidly
ramping up their diagnostic research capabilities, a critical
component for the early detection of diseases. In February, the
Biodesign Institute established the Virginia G. Piper Center for
Personalized Diagnostics. In May, TGen completed construction at
its downtown Phoenix headquarters of its Center for Proteomics,
another key segment of the PPM.
The IBS, Center for Systems Biology Luxembourg and the University
of Luxembourg have begun their first year of study focused on
exploring different sequencing methods.
*
About the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University
The Biodesign Institute at ASU integrates diverse fields of
science to cure and prevent disease, overcome the limitations of
injury, renew the environment and improve national security. By
fusing research in biology, engineering, medicine, physics,
information technology and cognitive science, the institute
accelerates discoveries into uses that can be adopted rapidly by
the private sector. For more information, visit
www.biodesign.asu.edu.
Press Contact:
Joe Caspermeyer
Media Relations Manager/Science Editor
480-727-0369
[email protected]
*
About TGen
The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) is a Phoenix,
Arizona-based non-profit organization dedicated to conducting
groundbreaking research with life changing results. Research at
TGen is focused on helping patients with diseases such as cancer,
neurological disorders and diabetes. TGen is on the cutting edge of
translational research where investigators are able to unravel the
genetic components of common and complex diseases. Working with
collaborators in the scientific and medical communities, TGen
believes it can make a substantial contribution to the efficiency
and effectiveness of the translational process. TGen is affiliated
with the Van Andel Research Institute in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
For more information, visit: www.tgen.org.
Press Contact:
Steve Yozwiak
TGen Senior Science Writer
602-343-8704
[email protected]
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