SHENZHEN, China and VANCOUVER, British Columbia, September 12, 2014 – BGI, the world’s largest genomics organization, based in China, and The Vancouver Prostate Centre (VPC), a global leader in translational research in cancer, today announced the establishment of the BGI-VPC Joint Research Laboratory, a sequencing and translational research facility, to jointly discover and advance basic and translational programs in oncology, including personalized oncology. The collaboration, the first between BGI and any Canadian research institution, will change the landscape of genomic and translational research across Canada and benefit patients worldwide.
The BGI-VPC Joint Research Laboratory, established at the VPC facility in Vancouver and currently available for use, will apply genome research to develop new biomarkers and cancer therapies. The primary focus initially will be on bladder, kidney and prostate cancer, although the collaboration could be expanded to include other cancers of special interest to the VPC and BGI.
Over the next five years, scientists will utilize clinical expertise, a unique repository of metastatic and post-treated cancer specimens, and cutting edge genomics with the goal of improving patient outcomes and quality of life through development of targeted therapies and ultimately evidence based precision oncology. In addition, with the participation of Dr. Yuzhuo Wang, Senior Scientist at Vancouver Prostate Centre and BC Cancer Agency, researchers will use unique and clinically relevant patient derived xenograft models to dissect the inner workings of tumors. It is anticipated that future collaborative research will range from health and agriculture to environmental research.
“The primary focus of this agreement is to achieve a deeper understanding of advanced and drug-resistant cancers with the implicit goal of improved quality of life for patients,” stated Dr. Colin Collins, Professor at the University of British Columbia and Senior Scientist and Director of Laboratory for Advanced Genome Analysis at VPC. Added Dr. Martin Gleave, Director of the VPC, “this partnership is creating tangible synergy that will expand and accelerate our drug discovery pipeline for cancer patients.”
“We welcome this opportunity to collaborate with The Vancouver Prostate Centre, and to make a meaningful contribution to advancing potential new therapies for cancer,” stated Yingrui Li, Chief Executive Officer of BGI Tech Solutions Company. “With our contribution of next generation sequencing equipment and advanced data processing and analysis, we expect the Joint Research Laboratory to make significant discoveries resulting in new, validated therapeutic targets as well as new molecules for commercial development.”
About The Vancouver Prostate Centre
The Vancouver Prostate Centre (VPC) has a track record of success that has earned it a reputation as one of the world’s most respected cancer facilities. It is a National Centre of Excellence and a designated Centre of Excellence for Commercialization and Research. VPC is focused on improving longevity and quality of life for patients in BC, and around the world. It is hosted by the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute and the University of British Columbia, and receives substantial financial support from the VGH and UBC Hospital Foundation.
About BGI
BGI was founded in 1999 with the mission of being a premier scientific partner to the global research community. The goal of BGI is to make leading-edge genomic science highly accessible through its investment in infrastructure that leverages the best available technology, economies of scale, and expert bioinformatics resources. BGI, which includes both private non-profit genomic research institutes and sequencing application commercial units, and its affiliates, BGI Americas, and BGI Europe, have established partnerships and collaborations with leading academic and government research institutions as well as global biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, supporting a variety of disease, agricultural, environmental, and related applications. BGI has achieved a proven track record of excellence, delivering results with high efficiency and accuracy for innovative, high-profile research which has generated over 600 publications in top-tier scientific journals. BGI Tech Solutions Company, a subsidiary of BGI, provides sequencing and bioinformatics service solutions for global biomedical, agricultural, and environmental customers. For more information about BGI please visit www.genomics.cn and www.bgiamericas.com.
BGI Contacts
Bicheng Yang, Ph.D.
Public Communication Officer BGI
+86-755-82639701
yangbicheng@genomics.cn
www.genomics.cn
Joyce Peng, Ph.D.
Marketing Director
BGI Tech & BGI America
+1-626-222-5584
joyce.peng@bgiamericas.com
www.bgitechsolutions.com
VPC Contact
Dr. Colin Collins
Professor, Department of Urologic Sciences, University of British Columbia
Senior Scientist & Director, Laboratory for Advanced Genome Analysis
Vancouver Prostate Centre
604-875-41111, ext: 67536
ccollins@prostatecentre.com
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