Duke Receives $5.9 Million for Genomics Bioresearch

Many people might be unaware that genes can be turned on and off, just like a light switch. Researchers at Duke University know this, and they are among several institutions receiving NIH funding to discover the nature of the "light switch" that makes it all possible. Duke University, in collaboration with the Center for Genomic and Computational Biology is one of five centers sharing $28.3 million in grants from the National Human Genome Research Institute to study mechanisms for gene regulation. According to a university press release the Duke University team, led by Tim Reddy, will receive $5.9 million to characterize how human lung epithelial cells respond to anti-inflammatory drugs called glucocorticoids.

These awards emanate from the recently launched Genomics of Gene Regulation (GGR) program of the NHGRI, one of the 27 institutes and centers at the National Institutes of Health.

"There is a growing realization that the ways genes are regulated to work together can be important for understanding disease," said Mike Pazin, Ph.D., a program director in the Functional Analysis Program in NHGRI's Division of Genome Sciences. "The GGR program aims to develop new ways for understanding how the genes and switches in the genome fit together as networks. Such knowledge is important for defining the role of genomic differences in human health and disease."

Recently, several researchers have found that a major factor of disease is the variation that occurs in genomic regions outside of the protein-coding regions, which are likely to contain mechanisms for gene control and are altered by this variation.

"Knowing the interconnections of these regulatory elements is critical for understanding the genomic basis of disease," Pazin said. "We do not have a good way to predict whether particular regulatory elements are turning genes off or activating them, or whether these elements make genes responsive to a condition, such as infection. We expect these new projects will develop better methods to answer these types of questions using genomic data."

Duke University as a Premier Marketplace for Bioresearch

This recent $5.9 million grant from the NIH is just one of many recent grants and donations that make Duke University a top-funded research institution and multi-billion dollar biotechnology marketplace.

This is why laboratory equipment vendors interested in marketing their products to genomic researchers and other leading research professionals are looking at Duke University as a premiere bioresearch market in 2015. Research industry events like the 16th annual BioResearch Product Faire™ Event at Duke University are huge opportunities for vendors to establish connections with laboratory managers and purchasing agents at a top-funded bioresearch institution. What makes Duke University such a great marketplace for lab suppliers and vendors? Read through some of the funding statistics below to find out:

• In the 2014 fiscal year, the National Institutes of Health granted Duke researchers $343.5 million to support research projects

• Duke University will receive a six-year, $137 million grant to aid in the discovery of an HIV vaccine and will receive $19 million of this in the first year.

• A five-year, $47 million grant has been awarded from the NIH to the Duke Translational Medicine Institute for biomedical research advances to patient care.

• Life Science R & D Expenditures for Duke in 2012 were $851,289,000.

• A five-year, $20 million project will evaluate the effectiveness of different treatment strategies for women with uterine fibroids.

• A five-year, nearly $10 million grant from the NIH’s National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases was awarded to the Duke University Medical Center to support basic and clinical research in renal and urogenital disorders.

Opportunities for Lab Vendors

Laboratory supply and equipment vendors interested in directly marketing to researchers from this top-funded research institution can participate in the 16th annual BioResearch Product Faire™ Event at Duke University on Wednesday, May 13, 2015. 

Last year, the BioResearch Product Faire™ Event at Duke University attracted 180 attendees, including:

• 47 purchasing agents professors and post docs
• 27 lab managers
• 50 attendees came from 23 different research buildings and 42 on-campus departments

This event brings together hundreds of the most influential and well-funded researchers on the east coast, and represents a lucrative opportunity to network and sell laboratory products to these industry professionals. 

Laboratory vendors can expect to increase their exposure in the bioresearch marketplace by marketing their products directly to the Duke researchers who rely on the latest biothecnology and laboratory consumables every day.

To learn more about marketing in-demand biotechnology and laboratory consumables at this top-funded research facility, follow the link below:

Biotechnology Calendar Inc. is a highly respected full service event marketing and planning company that has been producing life science tradeshows at research universities for more than 20 years.