Illumina Genotyping Technology Selected by Erasmus MC for Europe's Largest Cohort Study

Illumina, Inc. has announced that Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre in Rotterdam has purchased two fully automated BeadStations that will use the Infinium HumanHap550 BeadChip to genotype 10,000 samples.

Dr. Andre Uitterlinden of Erasmus MC will lead this project in the Rotterdam Study, a prospectively monitored population of individuals for the development of several late-age diseases including neurological, cardiovascular, endocrine, locomotor and ophthalmological conditions.

"Erasmus MC is one of Europe's most innovative clinical research centers dedicated to improving the diagnosis and treatment of life's most debilitating diseases," said Jay Flatley, Illumina President and Chief Executive Officer.

"We are excited that Illumina is able to join forces with a facility that is internationally recognized as one of the best in the fields of clinical research and biomedical science."

In this cohort study, all residents of the Rotterdam suburb of Ommoord between 1990 and 1993, aged 55 and over were invited to participate. Eighty percent have agreed and have now been monitored for 17 years.

During this time participants were subject to detailed interviews and examinations every three to four years in order to collect baseline data and health status.

"The outstanding importance of these diseases is not only related to their increasing frequency, but also their consequences, including their impact on disability, quality of life and mortality," said Dr. Andre Uitterlinden of Erasmus MC.

"We hope that by working with Illumina, and utilizing the HumanHap550 we will make important contributions in the field of genome wide association analyses for these common diseases."

"Together with other similar initiatives world-wide, we hope to make great strides towards uncovering human genetic information that will escalate clinical research and drug development for these diseases."