University joins forces with Chinese medical researchers

The agreement signed with the Bejing Genomics Institute (BGI) aims to further the understanding of the building blocks which make up people and other living organisms.

It will expand genomics research in Edinburgh, including examining hereditary information in DNA, which could help assess risks for particular diseases. The partnership comes at a time of increasing interest in how better understanding of genes will help to develop personalised medicines.

Professor Mark Blaxter, director of the School of Biological Science’s GenePool facility at the university, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity. Edinburgh is already a hotbed of expertise in genomics and DNA sequencing, and a partnership with BGI would allow us to expand our work into clinical research and, ultimately, personalised genomics.”