Illumina to Provide Oligonucleotides for Very Large-Scale Genomics Study At Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Monday December 2, 4:48 pm ET
Oligator(TM) Oligos Will Enable Research Aimed at Understanding Role of RNA Interference in Gene Silencing
SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 2, 2002-- Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ: ILMN - News) announced today that it has signed a commercial agreement with Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) to provide nearly 100,000 longmer oligonucleotides (oligos) for a large-scale study designed to determine the mechanism of RNA interference (RNAi). Illumina is working closely with Dr. Gregory J. Hannon, Principal Investigator, to validate oligo design integrity and provide fast turnaround from the Company's Oligator(TM) high-throughput DNA synthesis facility to meet the compressed schedule of the study.
RNA interference refers to a biochemical process that leads to the degradation of mRNA, a critical but transitory molecule that provides the code for protein production. RNAi mechanisms are thought to be associated with gene silencing and are being explored to identify means of therapeutically suppressing genes implicated in pathways for diseases such as cancer. RNAi mechanisms may, in fact, be implicated in a range of gene regulatory activity.
"Greg Hannon is pushing the frontiers of RNAi discovery," according to Jay Flatley, Illumina President & CEO. "Greg's work, along with that of his colleagues at CSHL, is providing insights into the nature of RNAi, with potentially profound impacts on our understanding of gene regulation and complex disease etiology, and our ability to more effectively diagnose and treat those diseases. We're pleased that our Oligator oligos will play a role in this important field of research."
For more information about RNAi or about activities of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and Dr. Hannon in this emerging field of research, visit cshl.org.
Illumina (NASDAQ: ILMN; www.illumina.com) is developing next-generation tools that permit large-scale analysis of genetic variation and function. The Company's proprietary BeadArray(TM) technology provides the throughput, cost effectiveness and flexibility necessary to enable researchers in the life sciences and pharmaceutical industries to perform the billions of tests necessary to extract medically valuable information from advances in genomics and proteomics. Illumina's core Oligator technology provides a strategic, low-cost source of oligonucleotides for the Company's array manufacturing and genotyping services business, and also for external customers requiring plate-sized oligo supply for genomics research. |
