The Canadian Genetic Diseases Network (CGDN) is delighted to announce a collaborative agreement with The Hospital for Sick Children (HSC) and the Industrial Technology Research Institute of Taiwan. The purpose of the collaboration is to develop and produce high-density microarrays, or gene chips, for use in research and clinical diagnostics.

This international collaboration blends CGDN's and HSC's expertise in biology and genomics, with that of the nano-engineering and semiconductor manufacturing capabilities of ITRI. Ron Woznow, CEO of the Canadian Genetic Diseases Network said, "The gene chips produced through this agreement promise to reduce the cost of using gene chips by nearly 10-fold. This dramatic reduction in cost will catalyze the wide-spread use of gene chips in both research and clinical settings."

The gene chips produced through this agreement promises to afford a number of benefits to Canadians. Clinical testing with gene chips is cost-effective. It also provides a means for doctors to screen patients for multiple medical disorders in a single test, and to make early diagnoses. In addition, CGDN and HSC scientists will be provided with access to new technology developed through the collaboration.

In a statement signifying the importance of this agreement to Canadians, Rick Thorpe, Minister of Science, Enterprise, and Competition in the Province of British Columbia, stated, "I would like to congratulate the partners on their agreement. The use of new and exciting technologies in health care research will result in better patient care and help support a sustainable health care system in British Columbia and across Canada."

The Canadian Genetic Diseases Network is a non-profit organization and a member of the Networks of Centres of Excellence Program. Its mission is to be the primary catalyst in advancing Canada's scientific and commercial competitiveness in genetic research and the application of genetic discoveries to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of human disease.