NEW YORK, Oct. 28-Perlegen will offer its microarray-based SNP genotyping expertise to an international collaborative project that studies the genetics of type 2 diabetes, the company said today.
The project, which will seek for diabetes-related genes on the long arm of chromosome 6, involves researchers from the National Human Genome Research Institute, form the National Public Health Institute of Finland, the University of Southern California, and the University of Michigan.
This U.S.-Finnish collaboration, after nine years of research, has identified specific regions of the genome that may include genes pertinent to the disease. Working with Perlegen Chief Scientific Officer David Cox, the team will apply the company's chip-based system for high-throughput genotyping to further narrow the focus.
Roughly 16 million people in the United States have type 2 diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association.The disease is thought to be influenced by both genetics and environment.
The company did not disclose financial specifics or rights to gene discoveries.
Perlegen is an Affymetrix subsidiary.