Roche and the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney, Australia, have announced a collaboration to develop new technologies for targeted epigenomic analysis using DNA sequencing. Genomics is a rapidly evolving field with a focus on realizing the potential use of sequencing information in patient diagnosis and treatment. More recently, epigenetics—the heritable changes in gene expression that are not caused by changes in the DNA sequence or genetic code, but rather involve secondary chemical modifications of the DNA and the structural proteins in chromosomes—is being recognized as playing an important role in a host of biological processes, and its role in cancer has been increasingly investigated. Due to the myriad of epigenomic events responsible for influencing expression of genes in chromosomes, more advanced methods are being sought to accurately analyze these changes.
Under the terms of the two-year agreement, the Garvan Institute and Roche will collaborate to develop new methods to accurately analyze regions of the epigenome. The collaboration brings together the genomics expertise and infrastructure at the Institute and the products for target enrichment from Roche NimbleGen, part of the Roche Sequencing Unit. As part of the agreement, the SeqCap Target Enrichment System from Roche will be used by scientists at the Institute to further their research in epigenetic influences on human diseases.
“In addition to our recent investments in sequencing platform technologies, our research team is working closely with key opinion leaders to advance sequencing applications of current and future technologies,” says Tom Albert, Head of Research at Roche’s Sequencing Unit. “This collaboration illustrates the potential of SeqCap Target Enrichment products in additional sequencing applications for epigenetic research. This brings us closer to delivering sequencing applications to the clinic that offer truly differentiated medical value.” Learn more about Roche NimbleGen.
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