Gentris Corporation Announces Collaboration to Study Blood Stability

MORRISVILLE, N.C., July 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Gentris Corporation (www.gentris.com), a global leader in pharmacogenomics and biorepository solutions, announced today that it will begin a collaborative study with a major pharmaceutical company to test the long-term stability of DNA in whole blood samples that have been stored for five and ten years. This study will provide insight into the optimal, long-term storage of clinical samples to ensure adequate DNA integrity for future pharmacogenomics testing.      

The three phase collaboration aims to investigate the effects of multiple freeze-thaw cycles on DNA from whole blood, both fresh and archived. In order to evaluate these effects, DNA will be extracted from archived whole blood samples after several freeze-thaw cycles and will undergo quantitative genotyping for specific genetic variations. Variants were chosen to evaluate both large and small deletions to assess DNA integrity. The results will be compared to genotyping data from the same samples before long-term storage and to similarly treated, freshly collected blood samples. A pharmaceutical partner will provide archived samples and the associated data. Gentris will provide freshly collected samples and perform the genotyping analysis.

The goal of this collaboration is to determine the impact of long term storage and multiple freeze-thaw cycles on the integrity of DNA from whole blood samples. With this data, Gentris will be able to determine whether archived samples would be best stored as whole blood or extracted DNA to ensure sufficient sample quality for future analysis. Maintaining high-quality samples allows pharmaceutical companies to utilize these biospecimens as needed during the entire drug development process, which typically takes several years to complete.

Related Links: www.gentris.com

Quotes: 
"We look forward to collaborating with our pharmaceutical partner to investigate an important question as more companies establish long-term archives of clinical samples," said Eric Hall, Gentris Vice President of Clinical Operations and Biorepository Services. "Because technologies are improving rapidly and the drug development process is lengthy, pharmaceutical companies can gain significant value from reanalyzing samples in order to refine later phases of clinical trials or answer questions that arise during development. Proper handling and storage of samples is the foundation for driving innovation in pharmacogenomics and personalized medicine."

About Gentris Corporation:
Founded in 2001, Gentris is located in Research Triangle Park, NC, where it provides pharmacogenomics and biorepository support for all phases of clinical studies and genomic biomarker programs.  The Company works with academic and industry leaders to translate innovations in pharmacogenomics into safer, more effective medicines, which can lead to accelerated drug development and improvement in patient care globally.  In the past year, Gentris significantly expanded its facility and onsite biorepository to meet the increased needs of biopharma clients, while maintaining a preeminent quality system.  

SOURCE Gentris Corporation