Expression Analysis Help Raise Over $120k for Pediatric Genetics Research

EA will once again host its “Leave Your Fingerprint on the Cure” campaign at the upcoming 12th International Congress of Human Genetics/American Society of Human Genetics 61st Annual Meeting http://www.ichg2011.org.

This event is scheduled for October 12, 2011, in conjunction with the ICHG/ASHG 2011 Meeting in Montreal at the Palais des Congres de Montreal.

The event will benefit the medical genetics department at Montreal Children’s Hospital, which allows researchers to become better able to precisely diagnose childhood diseases, predict their course, and create more effective treatments with fewer side effects.

For every person who volunteers to help complete a custom mural by painting and leaving their fingerprint in the center of a flower, at exhibitor booth (#617), EA and its sponsors will donate over $100.00, on their behalf, to Montreal Children’s Hospital.

This campaign is one of many programs Expression Analysis has launched in the last four years to aid academic and industry researchers in their efforts to uncover genetic markers linked to complex diseases.

“This is the fourth year in a row that EA and the American Society of Human Genetics have worked together to promote the “Leave Your Fingerprint on the Cure™” Campaign at the ASHG Annual Meeting,” said Joann Boughman, PhD, Executive Vice President of ASHG.

Boughman continued, “This event is one of the few opportunities for many of our human genetics research scientists to be more directly connected to the ‘downstream’ clinical process and the impact that their work has on patient care. People tend to forget that discovering new disease treatments and cures actually starts with very basic research, so it is exciting for genetic scientists as well as clinicians to demonstrate that their fingerprints are on the cures through this annual fundraising event.”

Valerie Frost, Director of The Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation said, “We are thrilled that EA has chosen to support The Children’s through this unique fundraising initiative that will enhance the healing environment for our young patients, while providing much-needed funds for our world-class researchers to continue their important work. We would like to thank all of the sponsors, donors and participants for contributing to this wonderful success.”

“We started this campaign in 2008 at ASHG’s 58th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia; the donation for each individual that participated was $10. This year, because of additional corporate sponsors the amount has risen to over $100 per participant. This campaign, along with this year’s donation, has helped raised over $120,000 for pediatric cancer/genetic research. This year we welcome Qiagen and Nugen to our growing list of sponsors. I thank them, along with returning sponsors Affymetrix, Agilent, Fluidigm, Illumina, Pacific Biosciences and RainDance Technologies,” said Steve McPhail, President and CEO of EA.

McPhail continued, “This campaign has become an important part of who EA is - a company dedicated to providing industry-leading tools and services that help accelerate the pace of genetic research leading to improved diagnosis, treatment and management of complex disease.”