Genomics/Bioinformatics Effort Launched

BT Catalyst,  Jan, 2001  

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About 40 corporations, universities and nonprofit institutes in North Carolina are joining forces to put the state at the forefront of the genomics and bioinformatics revolution.

The new North Carolina Genomics and Bioinformatics Consortium, coordinated by the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, was launched December 18 to strengthen the state's scientific, educational and business resources in genomics, proteomics and bioinformatics.

"North Carolinians have a long tradition of being innovative thinkers," said former North Carolina Gov. Jim Hunt in a prepared statement.

Hunt and top leaders from government, industry and academia announced the Consortium during a ceremony at the Biotechnology Center.

At the ceremony, new Governor Mike Easley said the Consortium will be high on his agenda when he takes office.

"The consortium is a model for the rest of the country," Easley said.

"This consortium will prepare our state to be a leader in the next major scientific technological advance for product development and services," said Dr. Charles Hamner, president and CEO of the Biotechnology Center.

Eleven public and private universities, 17 corporations and 11 nonprofit institutions throughout the state are forming the Consortium, and more are coming on board. (Visit www.ncgbc.org/partners/partners.html for a current list.)

"We are ideally suited in North Carolina to be a strong competitor in this global competition," said Molly Corbett Broad, president of the University of North Carolina System. Companies such as GlaxoSmithKline, with facilities in Research Triangle Park, and SAS Institute of Cary have been stepping up their efforts in genomics and bioinformatics in recent years. But the task is not easily done alone, said Dr. Jim Goodnight, CEO and chairman of SAS.

"Over the years, we at SAS have learned that the challenges in this industry and research area are much larger than any one company or any one group can effectively handle," Goodnight said. "That is why the creation of this Consortium is so important, and why SAS is so excited to be a part of it."

GlaxoSmithKline executive Robert Ingram said the Consortium is the type of public-private partnership that influenced the company to locate in North Carolina 17 years ago.

"It's only logical that the Consortium, another public-private partnership, takes North Carolina to the forefront of this scientific revolution," Ingram said.

The Consortium is being led by Dr. Ken Tindall, the Biotechnology Center's senior vice president for science and business development. Tindall was a geneticist with the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in Research Triangle Park before joining the Biotechnology Center in September.

COPYRIGHT 2001 North Carolina Biotechnology Center
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