NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Affymetrix, BioRealm, and RUCDR Infinite Biologics today announced a strategic alliance to genotype the National Institute of Drug Abuse biorepository.
The samples will be genotyped using the BioRealm SmokeScreen array, a genome-wide array that looks at more than 1,000 addiction-related genes and which was developed in conjunction with NIDA's Genetics Consortium and Affymetrix.
"Because of the SmokeScreen array, we have the ability to reveal genetic information previously hidden in NIDA's samples," RUCDR COO Andrew Brooks said in a statement. "It is a validated platform that will become a crucial tool in advancing addiction research and moving the field towards personalized treatment."
The NIDA biobank contains more than 50,000 samples collected from human subjects in agency-funded research, and is maintained at Rutgers University by RUCDR, a unit of the school's Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey. In May of 2014, RUCDR received at $19 million grant to expand the services it provides to NIDA scientists.