Contact Information: Media Contact: Dr. John Hylton Executive Director International Regulome Consortium 613 864-1304
Invitrogen Partners With International Regulome Consortium to Advance Stem Cell Research for the Development of Life Saving Therapies
| Source: International Regulome Consortium
SAN DIEGO, CA--(Marketwire - June 18, 2008) - The International Regulome Consortium (IRC)
announced today it has signed a non-binding letter of intent with
Invitrogen Corporation (NASDAQ : IVGN ) to develop tools for stem cell
research that will aid in the development of new therapies for some of the
world's most debilitating diseases. The agreement was signed here yesterday
at the annual meeting of the Biotechnology Industry Organization.
Invitrogen will contribute services and technology to help IRC researchers
in their goal of mapping the genetic circuit board that regulates how stem
cells give rise to specialized cells such as neurons. IRC is a third
generation genome project, involving 58 researchers from 34 institutions in
12 countries.
"I am delighted that Invitrogen has chosen to partner with the IRC.
Invitrogen brings tremendous expertise and strength in stem cell biology to
this important international consortium. Without question, this
participation will accelerate the IRC's research program," said Dr. Michael
Rudnicki, Scientific Director of the International Regulome Consortium and
Senior Scientist at the Ottawa Health Research Institute in Ontario,
Canada.
The IRC builds upon the work of the Human Genome Project, which in 2001
produced a detailed description of the more than 20,000 genes in the human
body. The IRC is using sophisticated laboratory techniques combined with
advanced data analysis to determine how these genes are regulated in stem
cells and in the specialized cells they give rise to. The implications of
this research are immense, with insights expected to lead to powerful new
regenerative approaches for treating and curing disease.
About the International Regulome Consortium
The International Regulome Consortium (IRC) is a third generation genomics
project mapping the genetic circuit board that regulates the formation and
function of cells. The project will define the genetic regulation of
different types of cells with an initial emphasis on those involved in the
formation and function of neural tissues. Launched in 2004 with seed
funding from the Government of Ontario in Canada, the IRC now includes 58
researchers from 34 institutions in 12 countries, with funding of more than
$60 million US.
The Canadian research program and the secretariat for the Consortium are
supported by Genome Canada and the Ontario Genomics Institute.
The new knowledge generated by IRC will set the stage for a powerful new
paradigm of health-medicine centered on the regeneration of diseased or
dysfunctional tissues that is at once personalized, predictive and
preventive. In a larger context, the IRC's gene regulation discoveries will
serve as an enabling knowledge base that informs virtually the entire field
of molecular biology. For more information, see
http://www.internationalregulomeconsortium.ca/.
{Note to editors: photographs of the document signing are available on
request.}