NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – The National Institute of General Medical Sciences has awarded a $27 million contract to the Coriell Institute for Medical Research to expand and continue operation of the NIGMS Human Genetic Cell Repository (HGCR).
Under the five-year contract, the HGCR will enhance its collection of human cell lines by adding induced pluripotent stem cells that carry disease gene mutations.
The HGCR was established in 1972, and it provides human cell lines and DNA for use in genetic and genomic research. The cell lines and DNA are used to identify genes and biochemical changes linked to a variety of genetic conditions and diseases.
The repository now has over 10,000 cell lines, with the inherited disease collection representing more than 1,000 diseases. It also includes cell lines and DNA samples from populations around the world and from several ethnic groups from the US.
According to NIGMS, the HGCR will begin meeting custom orders, including panels or RNA samples or cells grown under specific conditions.
The repository also distributes samples through a web-based catalog, and its web entries include information about the clinical characteristics of the donor and the genetic and biochemical features of cell lines.