FREMONT, Calif., Feb. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- WaferGen Biosystems, Inc. , a leading developer of state-of-the-art genetic analysis systems, today announced that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded a grant to the University of Pittsburgh that includes funding of $350,000 over the grant period for WaferGen's SmartChip(TM) Real-Time PCR System. The researchers will conduct novel gene expression research in the areas of advanced lung disease and asthma and will use the SmartChip system as the key platform for high throughput validation.
"Through these projects, we hope to enable the development of personalized therapies by allowing clinicians to identify individuals at risk of developing chronic lung diseases, diagnosing these conditions at an earlier stage, and identifying novel mechanisms that cause the diseases. We will use WaferGen's SmartChip Real-Time PCR system to discover and validate new biomarkers as part of these personalized medicine projects," said Steven D. Shapiro, MD, Jack D. Myers Professor and Chairman, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Associate Medical and Research Director ICSD, UPMC.
"This additional funding from the NIH to the University of Pittsburgh and their use of the SmartChip Real-Time PCR System in novel gene expression research projects is particularly encouraging because it shows continued interest in exploring the benefits of our SmartChip platform to advance personalized medicine," said Alnoor Shivji, chairman and CEO, WaferGen.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements". Such statements include statements relating to the expected use of WaferGen's SmartChip Real-Time PCR system by researchers in the grant study and the expected benefits thereof, and other statements relating to future events or to the company's future financial performance and are not historical facts, including statements which may be preceded by the words "intends," "may," "will," "plans," "expects," "anticipates," "projects," "predicts," "estimates," "aims," "believes," "hopes," "potential" or similar words.
WaferGen Biosystems, Inc.
