Affymetrix Signs Three Year Translational Medicine Agreement with Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center
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Affymetrix Inc. and Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center announced that they have entered into a three-year translational research collaboration to analyze genomic information across a large number of patient samples.
Under terms of the agreement, researchers at Vanderbilt-Ingram and Vanderbilt University Medical Center will use Affymetrix GeneChip® microarray technology to develop applications for translational research projects, focusing on disease areas such as cancer and HIV/AIDS.
“Cancer is a genetic disease. The technological capabilities that Affymetrix provides in gene expression and genotyping provides an important set of tools to examine the molecular and genetic basis of cancer,” said Shawn Levy, Ph.D., assistant professor of biomedical informatics and director of the Vanderbilt Microarray Shared Resource.
“This partnership provides a mechanism to bring these technologies to the forefront of translational research in helping Vanderbilt understand not only the molecular basis for the disease but also the genetic disparities in various cancers and responses to therapy.”
The HIV/AIDS translational research project will aim to help clinicians avoid the often irreversible and costly complications of therapy. The Affymetrix Human Mitochondrial Resequencing Array 2.0 will be used as a research tool to identify genetic variants that may make some patients more susceptible to adverse effects of certain drugs.
"A number of important translational projects are underway, ranging from cancer research to HIV/AIDS drug toxicities to age-related macular degeneration,” said Jeff Canter M.D., M.P.H., assistant professor of molecular physiology and biophysics at the Center for Human Genetics Research at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
“This is a very exciting time because new sequencing technologies allow us to explore real-world applications of discoveries from the revolution in genetics that until now have been confined to the laboratory,” said Canter.
