PLEASANTON, Calif.—The Garvan Institute of Medical Research, one of Australia’s largest medical research institutions, and Roche have announced the establishment of a collaboration for the development of new technologies for targeted epigenomic analysis utilizing DNA sequencing. The Garvan Institute seeks to make “significant contributions to medical science that will change the directions of science and medicine and have major impacts on human health.”
“This is an excellent example of collaboration between a leading-edge company and research institute in the development of advanced technology for genetic analysis, which will empower more research into human biology and disease, and lead to many translational opportunities,” Prof. John Mattick, executive director of the Garvan Institute, said in a press release.
Per the terms of the agreement, which is slated to run two years, Garvan and Roche will collaborate on the development of new methods for accurate analysis of regions of the epigenome. Garvan brings with it world-leading expertise and infrastructure in genomics, to complement the best-in-class products for target enrichment from Roche NimbleGen, part of the Roche Sequencing Unit. Under the agreement, Garvan scientists will make use of Roche’s SeqCap Target Enrichment System to advance their research into epigenetic influences on human diseases. No financial details for the collaboration were released.
“In addition to our recent investments in sequencing platform technologies, our research team is working closely with key opinion leaders to advance sequencing applications of current and future technologies. This collaboration with the Garvan Institute illustrates the potential of SeqCap Target Enrichment products in additional sequencing applications for epigenetic research. This brings us closer to delivering sequencing applications to the clinic that offer truly differentiated medical value,” Tom Albert, head of Roche’s Sequencing Unit, commented in a statement regarding the collaboration.
In January, Roche launched the SeqCap Epi Target Enrichment System for DNA methylation assessment at single-base resolution, a system that features both a fixed-content epigenome-wide design and a full range of custom target offerings. According to Roche, “Current research tools either provide limited efficiency or introduce experimental biases for genome-wide or targeted applications … This product line was designed to provide epigenetic researchers with next-generation tools to study DNA methylation with advantages in breadth, depth and throughput over other technologies currently available in the market.”
“We are very excited to introduce a novel system for epigenetic research, through encouraging collaborations with leading scientists in this field,” Dr. Rebecca Selzer, president of Roche NimbleGen, said in a press release announcing the system launch. “This is another success story where the research community is utilizing NimbleGen technologies for developing better tools aimed at more meaningful discovery.”
SOURCE: Roche press release
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