NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – The University of Edinburgh said today that it plans to launch a new genomics facility that will focus on analyzing genomic information from large-scale studies in a range of research areas.
The Edinburgh Genomics facility will pursue personalized medicine research projects, as well as studies looking into agriculture and wildlife genomics, such as studies of diseases that affect crop plants and animals.
“We will work with clinicians to apply new knowledge in the clinic, with farmers and breeders trying to improve our food supply, and with scientists aiming to understand the genetic underpinnings of how our ecosystems function,” Mark Blaxter, Edinburgh Genomics’ director, said in a statement.
Edinburgh said the facility will harness the university’s supercomputing and informatics capabilities, and that it will provide training and make its expertise and technologies available to outside researchers and industry.
The center will merge existing facilities at the university, including the Edinburgh GenePool and ARK-Genomics, the university said.
The facility is supported by the Medical Research Council, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, and the Natural Environment Research Council.