Amgen and Brigham & Women’s Hospital will use genetic analysis system to genotype 28,000 women.
Amgen has purchased and installed Illumina’s large, multicomponent genetic analysis system for Infinium® genotyping. Amgen will use the technology to analyze samples for genetic variations in American women that may underlie a range of serious illnesses, such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, breast cancer, and osteoporosis. This research is in collaboration with the Brigham & Women’s Hospital as part of the Women’s Genome Health Study.
“By analyzing data from this study,” syas Paul Ridker, M.D., of Brigham & Women’s Hospital, “physicians may be able to identify which of their patients are genetically predisposed to diseases, such as heart disease and breast cancer, and potentially tailor their treatment approach to those patients accordingly.”
Researchers hope to identify inherited genetic differences among women that may lead to the development of such diseases by comparing the potential genetic variations in women with one of these diseases to those who have remained healthy. The Women’s Genome Health Study will genotype 28,000 women, all of whom have been clinically monitored for more than 10 years and tracked for the development of these common diseases, using the HumanHap300-Duo BeadChip.