New members join RNAi global initiative
Two new members have joined the RNAi global initiative, an alliance of the Thermo Scientific Dharmacon products team and leading international research centres.
Two new members have joined the RNAi global initiative, an alliance of the Thermo Scientific Dharmacon products team and leading international research centres.
The new members are the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) Research Institute and the University of Leiden in Amsterdam. With their addition, the RNAi global initiative represents 37 research institutions in 14 countries. They are all using Thermo Scientific's Dharmacon whole-genome small-interfering RNA (siRNA) library in their research.
At the CHEO, scientists are exploring a variety of genomic functions, including the signalling mechanisms of host/virus interactions, mitochondrial dynamics, cap independent translation and programmed cell death. The goal is to better understand these biological activities so that ultimately they can be manipulated to improve human health.
At the University of Leiden, Bob van de Water and Erik Danen and their teams within the division of toxicology will use siRNA screening to better understand the molecular mechanisms of cancer and the responses of normal and tumour cells to DNA damaging anticancer drugs.
Founded in 2005, the RNAi Global Initiative is advancing the use of whole-genome RNA-interference screening. Members share information and develop common research standards to advance the productivity of RNAi gene-silencing techniques.
The growth in membership from 10 founding members in 2005 to 37 at the outset of 2009 is indicative of the value of this initiative," said Michael Deines, global director of marketing for genomics at Thermo Fisher Scientific.