January 22, 2009 | GenoLogics Wins JBEI Deal
The Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) of U.S. DOE will deploy GenoLogics lab and integrated data management solution for multiple sciences. JBEI is a scientific partnership that is led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and includes the Sandia National Laboratories, the University of California campuses of Berkeley and Davis, the Carnegie Institution for Science and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. JBEI’s primary scientific mission is to advance the development of the next generation of biofuels – liquid fuels derived from the solar energy stored in plant biomass.
“The GenoLogics solution has the capabilities we require to integrate data from different sciences and technologies, while tracking samples across multiple experiments and projects all in a single lab and data management system,” said Dr. Paul Adams, JBEI’s Vice President of Technology. “The GenoLogics system will also allow us to easily generate reports showing data from multiple sciences and automate our data pipelining for integrated analysis.” Separately, GenoLogics announced Wellcome Trust is deploying its Geneus lab and data management solution for genomics, including integrations to next generation sequencing platforms. Read releases.
Euro Science Foundation Lays Out Sys Bio Plan
Crucial breakthroughs in the treatment of many common diseases such as diabetes and Parkinson's could be achieved by harnessing a powerful scientific approach called systems biology, according to a Science Policy Briefing released by the European Science Foundation. The new policy calls for a coordinated strategy towards systems biology across Europe. The scientists have pinpointed several key disease areas that are ripe for a systems biology approach. More information.
Test Handles Paraffin-Embedded Specimens
Pathwork Diagnostics launched a version of its Tissue of Origin Test that can analyze formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue specimens. This molecular diagnostic test, which aids in the diagnosis of tumors with uncertain origins, is now available as a service through the CLIA-certified Pathwork Diagnostics Laboratory. “The capability to work with FFPE specimens will enable our test to be more broadly utilized by oncologists and pathologists,” said Deborah J. Neff, President and Chief Executive Officer of Pathwork Diagnostics. “Due to the RNA degradation that occurs in FFPE specimens, generating robust and reproducible data for many genes simultaneously was a significant challenge. Maintaining the high level of robust and reliable performance for the FFPE version of the test was an outstanding technical accomplishment by the company.” Read release.
InforSense Founder Takes New Role
Yike Guo, InforSense founder, will transition from CEO to become Chief Technology Officer and Head of Innovation, says the company. InforSense also announced it secured $5 million in funding commitment from its existing investors. This commitment follows consecutive record revenue quarters resulting in year-over-year growth of approximately 30% says the company. David Bennett, who joined InforSense in January 2008 as Executive Vice President Worldwide Sales, was named CEO. Read release.
New Genotype Offering from Illumina
Illumina launched the Infinium HD (High Density) iSelect Custom Genotyping solution. Researchers now have the flexibility to screen SNPs ranging from 3,000 to 200,000 in focused genotyping studies for both human and non-human species. The first commercially available products made with the Infinium HD iSelect technology include the OvineSNP50 and PorcineSNP60 BeadChips. These 12-sample SNP genotyping products add to Illumina's expanding agriculture portfolio, helping researchers detect genome-wide genetic variation in any breed of pig or sheep. Read release. Separately, Illumina announced today that it has introduced the Illumina CSPro Program for Sequencing. This new extension to the program allows organizations with the Illumina Genome Analyzer to become certified in order to provide a range of sequencing-based genetic analysis services. Read release.
Is Warfarin Genotype Testing Cost-effective?
A recent study in Annals of Internal Medicine -- Cost-Effectiveness of Using Pharmacogenetic Information in Warfarin Dosing for Patients With Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation – reports “genotype-guided dosing resulted in better outcomes, but at a relatively high cost.” Read report.
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