CARLSBAD, Calif., Aug. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- GenVault Corporation, the leader in room temperature biosample management, forged a partnership with Genome Quebec and the Centre hospitalier affilie universitaire de Chicoutimi to support the CARTaGENE project and the P(3)G Consortium. The partnership included last week’s Dynamic Archive sale and GenVault will implement the system and technology for archiving and retrieving samples that are contributed to the Biobank. The system purchased has expanded GenVault’s current customer base will and will be the model for harmonization of new standards of international biobanking. GenVault’s room temperature, automated storage and retrieval system was chosen because of GenVault’s unique dry sample storage technology and its derived cost and space savings over conventional cryogenic systems.
This announcement comes immediately following recent GenVault sales to a top ten pharmaceutical company and several high profile-research institutions. These sales include recently released products for clone storage, GenSolve for high quality DNA recovery from GenPlates, FTA paper and Guthrie cards, as well as GenConnect 3.0, an innovative sample management software package.
“We are particularly pleased that such a partnership has been established with GenVault in the context of the creation of the Biobank; this infrastructure and expertise will serve to support many large-scale projects and offer opportunities for innovative R&D”, said Daniel Gaudet, M.D., Ph.D., Scientific Director of the Genome Quebec - Centre de sante et de services sociaux de Chicoutimi Biobank, a professor of medicine at the Universite de Montreal, and director of university research at the Hopital de Chicoutimi.
The CARTaGENE project will create a public resource for the advancement of population genomics research in Quebec. This resource will include a database of health-related data, and blood and urine specimens. It will be made available for researchers who wish to better understand how genes interact with each other, the environment and lifestyle, with the aim of improving the health of Quebecers.
In the project’s first phase, data and samples will be collected from 20,000 participants between 40 and 69 years of age. For the second phase, 30,000 participants between 25 and 69 years of age will be recruited. Data collected from participants will include: biological data obtained from blood and urine samples (DNA, blood sugar levels, lipids measurements etc), physiological measurements and their answers to a health and lifestyle questionnaire.
“Placement of these systems, especially at the Genome Quebec - Centre de sante et de services sociaux de Chicoutimi Biobank , highlights a necessary and growing trend in biosample management to establish standards and a highly- effective, low cost solution to biobanking.” commented David Wellis, Ph.D., President and CEO of GenVault. “GenVault is pleased to be at the forefront of this trend, providing enabling technology to further the promise of genomic discovery and medicine.”
About GenVault
GenVault is the leader in providing DNA sample accessibility for genomic discovery, medicine and identification. GenVault serves customers across medical centers, academic institutions, pharmaceutical companies, and law enforcement agencies. As a scalable and reliable alternative to traditional freezers and DNA purification systems, GenVault’s dry-state platform enables the extraction, preservation, recovery and distribution of DNA at room temperature. Future systems will also accommodate proteins and RNA to provide a comprehensive solution. From its GenPlate to its Dynamic Archive solution, GenVault is continuously developing and refining best practices for DNA sample management. For more information visit us at www.genvault.com.
About CARTaGENE and Genome Quebec
Entirely publicly funded, CARTaGENE will be an infrastructure for populations genomics research. This resource could therefore contribute to the development of better diagnosis, treatment and prevention programs for disease. The CARTaGENE project is headed by Professor Bartha Maria Knoppers, under the scientific direction of Dr. Claude Laberge together with Dr. Paul Burton and Dr. Isabel Fortier. CARTaGENE also benefits from the expertise of an international scientific advisory board.
CARTaGENE is a charter member of P(3)G (Public Population Project in Genomics, www.p3gconsortium.org). The Public Population Project in Genomics (P(3)G) is an international consortium for the development and management of a multidisciplinary infrastructure for comparing and merging results from population genomic studies. P(3)G will enable the international research community to deliver more effective health care strategies aimed at disease prevention, and at tailoring medicines and other treatment regimens to individuals, families and communities.
CARTaGENE seeks to create a resource for the advancement of genetic research, with the aim of improving the health of Quebecers. This public resource will operate under a governance framework and will consist of a databank and a biobank. CARTaGENE will contain environmental, demographic and health data. Its biobank will contain DNA and blood and urine samples. Access to CARTaGENE will be granted to researchers who are seeking to better understand how genes interact with other genes, with the environment and with lifestyle factors. To find out more about CARTaGENE, visit its website at www.cartagene.qc.ca.
Genome Quebec financially supports major genomics and proteomics research initiatives as well as their applications in association with the academic and industry domains, while maintaining and promoting the highest ethical standards. The mobilizing effect created by these investments will contribute to maximizing socio-economic benefits and to establishing Quebec as a leader in the field of life sciences. Genome Quebec is a major Quebec initiative to promote research and the development of genomics in human health, forestry, agriculture, fisheries, the environment and bioinformatics. By focusing on a national genomics research project, it brings together industry, governments, universities, hospitals, research institutes, and the general public and promotes the study of genomic issues as they relate to ethics, law and society. To find out more about Genome Quebec, visit its website at www.genomequebec.com.
GenVault Corporation
CONTACT: David Wellis, CEO, or Kerri McWeeny, Director of Marketing,GenVault Corporation, +1-760 268-5200, or fax, +1-760-268-5201
