Expression Analysis (EA) announced a jointly sponsored research grant for up to eight American Cancer Society Grantees to investigate and draw parallels between specific cancers and recurring mutations in specific kinases, using targeted genome sequencing.  Each grantee will provide up to 12 human samples (six diseases, six controls) to EA for enrichment using Agilent Technologies’ SureSelect Human Kinome Kit.  EA will perform the sequencing of the kinome of each sample at no cost, using Illumina’s Genome Analyzer technology, reagents and flow cells. EA will then provide analysis of sequence data along with final reports and raw sequence data.

“Through this grant, Illumina, Agilent and Expression Analysis seek to help the cancer research community apply the power of next generation sequencing to advancing our understanding of the genetic variants associated with kinase mutations,” said David Bentley, chief scientist at Illumina. “Because they play an essential role in cell signalling pathways, kinases are intimately involved in cancer cell growth, proliferation and survival. Along with their direct regulators, these proteins are among the most frequently mutated oncogenes and tumour suppressors. Greater knowledge in this crucial area could help us make important new headway in understanding, preventing and treating cancer.”

“Genomic discoveries are paramount to ultimately uncovering underlying mechanisms of cancer development, and we believe this collaboration between EA, Illumina and Agilent will work to further the progress of these discoveries,” said Steve McPhail, president and CEO of EA. “EA is committed to providing cancer researchers with industry-leading services that help accelerate the pace of cancer research. The research community has widely adopted Illumina’s sequencing technology and Agilent’s SureSelect target enrichment products, so it made perfect sense for our three companies to come together and offer this programme.”

“Agilent is pleased to support this worthwhile work by enabling researchers to quickly and easily focus on kinases and other cancer-related genes in their searches for biomarkers,” said Fred P. Ernani, PhD, Agilent marketing director, SureSelect platform. “Our target enrichment system has been an extremely successful and powerful tool for genetic discovery, evidenced by more than 30 publications in high-impact journals to date. We look forward to seeing the results of these American Cancer Society grants.”

Illumina is a leading developer, manufacturer, and marketer of life science tools and integrated systems for large-scale analysis of genetic variation and function. We provide innovative sequencing and array-based solutions for genotyping, copy number variation analysis, methylation studies, gene expression profiling, and low-multiplex analysis of DNA, RNA and protein.

We also provide tools and services that are fuelling advances in consumer genomics and diagnostics. Our technology and products accelerate genetic analysis research and its application, paving the way for molecular medicine and ultimately transforming healthcare.

Agilent Technologies Inc. is the world’s premier measurement company and a technology leader in chemical analysis, life sciences, electronics and communications.

EA provides whole genome to focused set gene expression and genotyping assays along with DNA sequencings services, sequence enrichment technologies and bioinformatics support. Platforms utilized include Affymetrix GeneChip and GeneTitan, Agilent SureSelect, Applied Biosystems’ Taqman, Illumina BeadChip, iScan and Genome Analyzer, NanoString Technologies nCounter Analysis System, RainDance Technologies RDT 1000 and, the Pacific Biosciences PacBio RS.