Canterbury Health Laboratories (NZ) Adopts NimbleGen Microarray Cytogenetics Solution for Mental Retardation Research

Canterbury Health Laboratories has implemented the NimbleGen workflow solution for Cytogenetics including arrays, reagents, instruments, and software at their core facility in Christchurch, New Zealand. The laboratory will be initially implementing the NimbleGen CGX-12 arrays for their research on developmental delay and mental retardation. These arrays provide targeted cytogenetic content based on the analysis of over 40,000 research samples and include several multiplex formats that enable accurate, high-resolution analysis of up to 12 samples in parallel.
 
Canterbury Health Laboratories is the largest tertiary medical testing laboratory in New Zealand performing its services for all of New Zealand as well as other Asia Pacific regions including Australia. The laboratory has the most extensive medical research experience in New Zealand and has associations back to the first Pathology Department in the country which was established in 1912 in Christchurch. Since then, it has developed into a leader in New Zealand for medical and genetic research including neonatal cytogenetic testing.

“At Canterbury Health Laboratories, our mission is to remain as the leading organization for genetic research in New Zealand,” said Professor Peter George, Clinical Director of Canterbury Health Laboratories. “The CGX Cytogenetics Solution from Roche NimbleGen gives us this advanced solution to remain at the forefront with proven cytogenetic content and a tried and tested workflow solution that includes a powerful database of over 10,000 identified genetic alterations that allows us to quickly and easily make sense of our data.”

“We are pleased to partner with leading research laboratories worldwide, such as Canterbury Health Laboratories, who are driven to use advanced technologies to further the understanding of genetic disease,” stated Dr. Frank Pitzer, CEO of Roche NimbleGen. “Their research will provide us with insights to these diseases that can lead to future diagnostics and therapies for these disorders.”