Sigma-Aldrich Welcomes Vanderbilt and the University of Michigan to the RNAi Partnership Program

Sigma-Aldrich welcomes the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center and the University of Michigan to the RNAi Partnership Program. The RNAi Partnership Program can provide these members with access to products in Sigma- Aldrich's functional genomics portfolio, including TRC shRNA libraries targeting more than 15,000 human and another 15,000 mouse genes.

"We are pleased to become a member of the Sigma-Aldrich RNAi Partnership Program and look forward to a productive collaboration," said Dr. Shawn Levy, the Scientific Director of the Vanderbilt Microarray Shared Resource for the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center.

"Here at Vanderbilt, many researchers are interested in targeted gene knockdown, and access to the MISSION™ TRC shRNA Library will greatly accelerate their ability to prioritize genes identified from various proteomic and genomic screens."

Speaking for Sigma-Aldrich, Keith Jolliff, Sigma-Aldrich's Director of Strategic Marketing for Genomics and Functional Genomics, said, "We are very pleased to expand our collaborative relationships with these prestigious institutions, and we will continue to look for innovative ways to accelerate our partners' success."

Through the RNAi Partnership Program, Sigma-Aldrich aims to establish collaborations with select academic institutions to advance functional genomics research by aiding academic researchers with early exposure to emerging new techniques, a broad portfolio of intellectual property and special partnership pricing on Sigma-Aldrich's extensive RNAi product lines.

Existing members of the RNAi Partnership Program include The Cleveland Clinic, Washington University of St. Louis, Princeton University, The Wistar Institute, and Rutgers University, among others. These members enjoy access to RNAi tools for studying the underlying cause of disease and elucidating basic gene function.

Sigma's offering includes various products positioned along the functional genomic research workflow, such as the lentivirus-based MISSION TRC shRNA libraries, activated lentiviral particles, custom siRNA and QPCR reagents.