Population Genetics collaborate with University of Oxford  

Two leading research groups at the University of Oxford are using technologies developed by Population Genetics to enable studies on gene variants associated with myocardial infarction, diabetes and metabolic disease.

Mark McCarthy, Robert Turner Professor of Diabetes at the Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, and his group are working on a population study of 74 exons from 12 genes across a population of 1000 genomic DNA samples to identify genetic associations with diabetes and metabolic disease, using Population Genetics’ GenomePooling™ technology. The studies will also inform a wider initiative led by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) to establish an NIHR BioResource of volunteers willing to participate in research that will map genotype to phenotype.

David Buck, Head of High Throughput Genomics at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics (WTCHG) in collaboration with PROCARDIS, will use the company’s Reflex™ workflow to interrogate 3000 samples and identify genetic variants of candidate genes associated with myocardial infarction.

Mark McCarthy commented: “Population Genetics gives us an efficient way to validate hypotheses through identification of variants in candidate genes associated with common human diseases. This partnership will make a valuable difference in our ability to progress our studies towards clinical application.”

Alan Schafer, CEO of Population Genetics, said: “We are pleased by the recognition given to our capability and to our enabling technologies, demonstrated in the formation of the partnerships with researchers as esteemed as Mark McCarthy and David Buck. We look forward to providing key capability to them and to others at the University of Oxford that will help advance genetic research towards clinical application.”