The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and BGI-Shenzhen has signed a formal agreement to collaborate on research into next-generation sequencing and analysis of paediatric brain tumours, in support of the Childhood Brain Tumour Tissue Consortium (CBTTC). The research initiative will draw on the resources of the state-of-the-art Joint Genome Centre BGI@CHOP.

This centre provides next-generation sequencing (NGS) under CAP/CLIA guidelines, which represent the gold standard of quality in clinical laboratory testing.

The CBTTC is a collaborative paediatric research group that brings together four institutions: The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (which houses the Operations Centre) and the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Seattle Children’s Hospital and Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. The consortium is dedicated to the collection, annotation, and molecular analyses of children’s brain tumours. Next- generation sequencing of paediatric brain tumours offers a deep and comprehensive view into the genetic underpinnings of these often-devastating solid tumours. In collaboration with BGI’s genomics platforms, the new project will support the development of new and more effective forms of therapy targeted to each patient’s specific subtype of brain tumour.

Tom Curran, Ph.D., FRS, deputy scientific director of the CHOP Research Institute, said, “These important efforts are made possible through the further extension of CHOP’s productive collaboration with BGI, a world-class institution in the global genome sequencing arena that is using its scientific expertise and technological know-how to improve medical research.”

“BGI is pleased to have deepened its relationship with The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, a global leader in paediatric care and research,” said Dr Jun Wang, executive director of BGI-Shenzhen. “We look forward to a productive partnership that will accelerate advances in the research and treatment of paediatric brain tumours.”

Supported by CHOP’s and BGI’s excellent infrastructure and extensive experience in NGS services, the BGI@CHOP Joint Genome Centre was established in November 2011 under a partnership between both institutions to focus on discovery of genes underlying rare and common paediatric diseases.

The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia is committed to provide exceptional patient care, training new generations of paediatric healthcare professionals and pioneering major research initiatives, Children’s Hospital has fostered many discoveries that have benefited children worldwide and its paediatric research program is among the largest in the US.