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Manchester, Peking University Team up on Genomic Medicine Center

NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Clinical research partners in Manchester, UK, and at Peking University in Beijing have teamed to create an international research center for genomic medicine that will leverage the strengths of institutions in both regions, the University of Manchester said today.

The Peking-Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine is a partnership between the Manchester Academic Health Science Centre (MAHSC) and the Peking University Health Sciences Centre (PUHSC).

Manchester's involvement in the center is being led by the Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine, a collaboration between the University of Manchester and the Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

The personalized medicine-focused research the Peking-Manchester center will undertake will "draw on populations of up to 50 million individuals to harness next-generation genetic technology for patient benefit," MAHSC Medical and Human Sciences Director and Manchester Professor Ian Jacobs said in a statement.

Under the collaboration, six senior geneticists from the Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine will provide a training course to more than 300 health professionals and scientists at PUHSC, the University of Manchester said.

"By working together with our colleagues in Manchester, we will leverage the unique strengths of each university in the area of genomic medicine," added Professor Wei-Gang Fang, PUHSC's VP for Research and International Collaboration. "Through our joint venture, we wish to make new breakthroughs to benefit the patients in China, in the UK, and hopefully around the world."

MAHSC is a partnership between the University of Manchester and six NHS organizations, and is one of five AHSC centers in the UK.

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