Mayo Clinic and TGen Sign New Agreement to Broaden the Scope of
Research Collaboration
Distinct clinical areas involving cancer and neurologic diseases
included
The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale today announced the signing of a new research collaboration agreement broadening the areas to be included in joint research endeavors.Extending the scope of an agreement to collaborate in melanoma research that resulted in a statewide conference in June 2003, the new agreement formalizes a more comprehensive collaboration including multiple distinct areas of interest. Identified as possible areas of joint research are various cancers, including pancreatic, hematologic malignancies, multiple myeloma, ovarian and breast, and neurologic diseases such as Alzheimer's disease that have a possible genetic basis.
"We believe that bringing the power of an academic medical center such as Mayo Clinic together with the novel genomic technologies and tools at TGen will allow us to have a significant impact on these devastating diseases," said Dr. Jeffrey Trent, TGen's President and Scientific Director.
Consistent with this evolving relationship, four federal grant applications having joint co-investigators from both institutions have already been submitted, and additional proposals are being developed, according to officials at the organizations. In addition to investigator-initiated projects, this includes a translational genomic training grant and responses to federal requests for applications.
"Pursuing joint research strategies and building strong partnerships with researchers at TGen helps to advance Mayo Clinic's mission of integrating research and educational efforts with clinical medicine to provide optimal health care for our patients and for patients everywhere," said Victor F. Trastek, M.D., Chair, Board of Governors at Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale.
Also included in the research collaboration agreement is the possibility of joint recruitment of staff and sharing of facilities and core resources of both organizations.
"Partnerships between organizations such as TGen and Mayo Clinic are absolutely critical in today's modern biomedical research environment," said Bert Getz, Chair, Mayo Foundation Board of Trustees and board member at TGen. "Together we can have a profound impact on the care of patients with diseases and, hopefully, we will eventually even be able to prevent the development of these problems."
About TGen
The mission of the Translational Genomics Research Institute
(TGen) is to make and translate genomic discoveries into advances
in human health. "Translational genomics research" is a relatively
new field employing innovative advances arising from the Human
Genome Project to apply to the development of diagnostics,
prognostics and therapies for cancer, neurologic disorders,
diabetes and other complex diseases.
About Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale
As one of the premier academic medical centers in the Southwest,
Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale focuses on providing multidisciplinary
specialty and surgical care in more than 66 disciplines. In 2002,
the National Cancer Institute extended Mayo Clinic's designation as
a comprehensive cancer center to include Mayo Clinic's facilities
in Scottsdale, Ariz. and Jacksonville, Fla., placing it among only
41 cancer centers in the U.S. to have this advanced
designation.
Visit their Web site at http://www.mayoclinic.org/scottsdale/.
Contact: Galen Perry
602.343.8423
[email protected]
