Recent statistics suggest cancer mortality rates are declining due to better prevention, early detection methods and improved treatments, yet so much remains to be done. With cutting-edge research continually pushing the boundaries of science and discovery, it is not surprising that an increasing number of cancer researchers are turning to the newest tool in the DNA collection toolbox - DNA from saliva.
Saliva has traditionally been overlooked as a source of DNA for cancer research but Oragene•DNA has changed that. What makes saliva-based DNA collection with Oragene•DNA so important to cancer research? Saliva provides a non-invasive means of collecting high quality and quantity DNA that is stable at room temperature, which makes samples easy to collect, store and ship. With geographically dispersed subjects, scientists can even mail Oragene•DNA kits to participants, who follow the directions, and return the saliva samples to the laboratory for analysis using standard mail service. Cancer research groups around the world are now focusing on the potential of this common bodily fluid for detecting the genetic link to the disease and studying genes without the need for a blood draw.
Now that researchers trust that DNA from saliva using Oragene is equivalent to DNA from blood, the door is open to populations they would normally not have access to. Collecting blood is very invasive and not a practical procedure for children or individuals that can't give blood for religious or medical reasons or for those who do not have access to a collection center. Compliance rates improve with saliva resulting in the collection of more samples.
Breast cancer researchers at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) are hoping to answer some important questions with DNA from saliva. They are building a repository aimed at studying breast cancer risk and treatment. Their goal is to collect 100,000 samples over a five year period. They want to learn why one individual is affected by breast cancer but another is not. Or why two women with the same disease respond differently to the same treatment. What inherited factors contribute to the disease? What environmental factors contribute to breast cancer? How do inherited and environmental factors interact to cause the disease?
The researchers decided to use Oragene•DNA because saliva-based collection offered them a non-invasive, easy-to-use and reliable method to collect the large number of DNA samples they need. The kit stabilizes DNA at room temperature until it can be analyzed, which eliminates storage and logistical issues. In addition, Oragene•DNA provides the high quality, high quantity DNA required for establishing the bio-repository. The reliability and ease-of-use also enabled on site event-based collections bolstering the donor group by thousands in a single day.
In another example, researchers at Inserm (I'Institut national de la santé et de la recherché medicale) in France are conducting a study on thyroid cancer using Oragene•DNA. The primary goal of the project is to better understand the risk factors associated with the development of thyroid cancer. The project will establish a DNA bank to permit future studies of candidate genes linked with thyroid cancer and to study gene-environment interactions. The team evaluated the possibility of collecting blood samples, buccal swabs or Oragene•DNA. After evaluating all options, they decided to use Oragene•DNA as it was the only method that allowed them to overcome their main challenge of maximizing compliance rates for geographically dispersed participants.
So, is saliva-based DNA collection the newest tool in the fight against cancer? Enabled by Oragene•DNA, the answer is a definitive ‘yes'. Cancer research with saliva DNA has definitely come of age.
Do you have thoughts you'd like to share on this topic? Leave a comment and let us know what you think. Don't forget, The Genetic Link has subscription options; you can follow by email or RSS feed.
This morning, BioServe Biotechnologies announced that they have completed validation testing of the Oragene•DNA saliva collection kits and have joined DNA Genotek's Partner Program. Now, BioServe can offer customers a comprehensive testing platform for extraction and genetic analysis for Oragene•DNA samples. BioServe has validated Oragene•DNA kits for use within its DNA extraction and genotyping service, including sample quantification and normalization; whole genome amplification; multiplex-based genotyping, expression analysis and sample archiving.
"Validating Oragene•DNA kits for use with our genomic services is consistent with our goal of providing customers the highest quality and most economical services," said Rama Modali, president, BioServe. "Partnering with DNA Genotek, we can now offer our customers a best-in-class solution for processing Oragene•DNA samples including extraction and genotyping from saliva, which is in keeping with the high standards customers expect from BioServe."
"DNA Genotek's Partner Program is designed to facilitate the development of strong collaborations between the customers who use our technologies and our global partners. BioServe Biotechnologies has fully met all the program criteria and has proven expertise in working with our products," said Ian Curry, president and CEO, DNA Genotek, Inc. "We look forward to further developing this relationship with BioServe and providing our customers with another validated option for processing the DNA samples collected with Oragene•DNA."
Everyone at DNA Genotek welcomes BioServe to the DNA Genotek Partner Program.
At DNA Genotek, we understand the importance of high quality DNA samples to support our customers' research and clinical studies. As a result, we work with our customers to ensure the results they obtain with our products are optimized. Implementing proven techniques and procedures for maximizing the DNA yield from Oragene•DNA saliva samples can increase the yield and improve the efficiency of laboratory processes and quality of downstream results. Recently, we created a list of 'best practices' to ensure that you achieve the maximum possible yield from Oragene•DNA saliva samples. We want to share this list with you.
Follow these tips and tricks to maximize the DNA yield from Oragene•DNA 2 ml saliva samples.
- Collect the required volume of saliva. The required volume of saliva is 2 mL. Collecting less than the required volume will result in lower yields. Saliva may sometimes be foamy, so it is important to ensure that liquid saliva, not the bubbles, reaches the 'fill-to' line.
- Follow the instructions on the Oragene•DNA package carefully. This includes not eating, drinking, smoking, chewing gum or brushing your teeth for 30 minutes prior to giving the saliva sample.
- Finish spitting within 30 minutes. The full saliva sample should be collected within 30 minutes and the Oragene•DNA tube or vial should be capped immediately. Waiting longer than 30 minutes may decrease the yield and quality of the DNA. A 2 ml saliva collection should typically take less than 5 minutes.
- Take an aliquot for DNA extraction after incubation at 50°C. Saliva is quite viscous and can trap DNA if not processed correctly. The 50°C incubation step releases DNA from the Oragene•DNA / saliva sample and reduces the viscosity, producing a homogenous sample. Taking an aliquot prior to the incubation step may give a lower DNA yield and may provide inconsistent results when multiple aliquots are purified from the same sample.
- Add the correct amount of alcohol to precipitate the DNA. It is important to add an equal volume of room-temperature ethanol (95-100%) to the clear supernatant after the centrifugation step. For example, 500 µL of ethanol should be mixed with 500 µL of supernatant. The aqueous phase should be mixed gently and thoroughly with the ethanol to ensure complete precipitation of DNA. A visible clot of DNA will usually be seen as the ethanol mixes with the aqueous phase. Adding more than 1 volume of ethanol and/or using cold ethanol will not improve DNA recovery and may increase the amount of impurities that precipitate.
- Allow a sufficient period of time to rehydrate the DNA. DNA extracted from Oragene•DNA is high molecular weight and may take some time to dissolve completely in buffer. The rehydration solution should be a low salt buffer such as TE. We recommend overnight incubation at room temperature to ensure complete rehydration of the DNA. For best results, the final concentration of DNA should be less than 200 µg/mL (200 ng/µL). Drying the sample after ethanol precipitation is not recommended because this can significantly increase the rehydration time. The rehydration time may be shortened by incubating at 50°C for 1 hour with occasional vortexing. Once the DNA is dissolved, you should briefly vortex or pipet the sample several times prior to taking an aliquot.
NOTE: If higher concentrations are required, you may rehydrate the DNA pellet with as little as 50 µl of TE buffer.
- Quantifying the DNA. It is important to remember that Oragene•DNA collects about 2 mL of saliva and mixes it with 2 mL of Oragene•DNA solution. Therefore, the total volume of Oragene•DNA / saliva solution is about 4 mL. The total DNA yield for the 4 mL should be > 20 µg. We recommend quantifying DNA by fluorimetry using a fluorescent dye such as SYBR Green. Quantification by this method is more accurate than absorbance.
We hope these 7 steps will help you maximize the DNA yield from all your Oragene•DNA samples. Was this article useful? Let us know what you think by leaving a comment.
Every day, it seems, scientists learn something new about how our genes work. One fascinating area of research involves understanding the role of our genes in the initiation, progression and treatment of diseases; such as cancer. Understanding cancer on a molecular and genetic level makes for good science and good medicine. We understand that all cancers are not created equally. From the moment you are conceived, your genes may increase your susceptibility to developing certain cancers or, later on, your environmental exposures or other factors may cause changes in your genes that cause cancer to develop. Cancer is not one disease, but many, adding to the complexity and breadth of studies.
Research is the best way to fully understand the mechanics of this disease and ultimately develop better strategies to combat it. Scientists and clinicians alike are constantly working to learn more about the role of genetics in cancers so they can improve treatment options and health outcomes for patients. The study of genes and cancer all share a fundamental requirement - they all need DNA.
The collection and analysis of DNA from blood and tissue have long been considered the golden standards in cancer research studies. Obtaining high quality genomic DNA is critical for studies that aim to evaluate the role of genetic factors in cancer. However, cancer research studies often require very large numbers of samples from a dispersed population and non-invasive methods for DNA collection. Saliva samples, which are painless for the donor and relatively easily collected, are quickly becoming the preferred choice.
Oragene•DNA is the product of choice for many cancer researchers who require a safer, simpler mechanism for collecting genetic samples than the traditional method of blood collection. This method of DNA collection is highly desirable in certain patient groups (e.g., children, those fearful of venipuncture, geographically dispersed study populations, or as a back up source of DNA in studies that collect blood).
Oragene•DNA kits are being used today in a wide variety of cancer studies including those investigating candidate genes and inherited risk family studies. Oragene•DNA is well suited for cancer research applications including:
Genetic Research: to identify genetic targets for therapy or diagnostics;
Genetic Screening: to help determine who is at high risk of developing cancer and who would have the better prognosis;
Pharmacogenomics: to determine the influence of genetics on treatment choice and disease prognosis.
One example of the type of cancer research that is benefiting from non-invasive DNA sample collection is breast cancer. One such research study was published in 2009: Christine B. Ambrosone, Gregory L. Ciupak, Elisa V. Bandera, et al., "Conducting Molecular Epidemiological Research in the Age of HIPAA: A Multi-Institutional Case-Control Study of Breast Cancer in African-American and European-American Women," Journal of Oncology, vol. 2009, Article ID 871250, 15 pages, 2009. doi:10.1155/2009/871250.
The authors of this research conducted a case-control study with the goal of recruiting 1200 African American and 1200 European American women with breast cancer and an equal number of controls in order to evaluate numerous risk factors for early/aggressive breast cancer and to evaluate the distribution of these risk factors within and across racial/ethnic groups. They initially collected blood samples which were processed and stored in the laboratory at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. In 2007, to reduce costs and to facilitate participation, they transitioned to collection of saliva using Oragene•DNA kits for DNA extraction. The authors state: "These collection kits yield large quantities of high quality DNA, comparable to that obtained from whole blood."
If you'd like more details on how the researchers benefitted from non-invasive DNA collection in this breast cancer research study, download the full copy here.
At DNA Genotek, we're committed to creating educational resources for researchers involved in cancer genetics and to facilitate the sharing of best practices for DNA collection. If you have information to share or would like to contribute to this blog, please send us your suggestions and ideas.
We'll be posting more articles on saliva DNA collection methods for cancer research in the coming weeks. Don't forget, The Genetic Link has subscription options; you can follow by email or RSS feed.
In November of 2009, DNA Genotek announced their new global partner program. The program is designed to help partners scale and differentiate themselves in the genomics market. The DNA Genotek Partner Program is open to technology vendors as well as genomics and diagnostic service providers who have demonstrated capabilities in providing services for our sample collection products including Oragene●DNA, Oragene●RNA, Oragene●ANIMAL and/or Performagene•LIVESTOCK.
The DNA Genotek Partner Program is designed to help connect our customers with an approved service provider to process Oragene samples. Key to the program is our ability to provide customers with confidence of compatibility with a full range of downstream processing and analysis solutions offered by multiple technology vendors.
Since the launch of this program, 15 new companies have successfully completed validation of DNA Genotek products with their service or product offering. These companies are from a variety of countries and are available to help our customers process DNA saliva samples.
Here is the list of the newest companies to complete their validation testing:
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Affymetrix (US)
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Beckman Coulter Genomics (US)
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BioServe Biotechnologies, Ltd. (US)
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Center for Applied Genomics - Institute of Genomic Medicine (UK)
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chemagen AG (Germany and US)
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Clinical Reference Laboratory, Inc. (US)
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Geneservice (UK)
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Genetic Repositories Australia - GRA (Australia)
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Génome Québec & Montreal Heart Institute - Pharmacogenomics Centre (Canada)
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Gen-Probe - Tepnel Pharmaceutical Services (UK)
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Q Chip Ltd. (UK)
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Tecan (US)
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The Centre for Applied Genomics - TCAG (Canada)
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UK DNA Banking Network (UK)
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Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility - Genetics Core (Scotland)
For more information on each of these partners and what they offer, see the partner section of our web site.
Congratulations to these companies for completing their testing so quickly. While we're excited about this positive response to our program, we have many more companies from around the world currently working on validations with our products. Be sure to stay tuned to The Genetic Link for the latest updates on new DNA Genotek partners.
January is the most popular time of year for people to go on a diet or join a gym. Why? Because 'lose weight' is the most popular new year's resolution for both women and men and 'exercise more' follows close behind. So it's no big surprise that we're being bombarded with advertisements for weight loss programs, diet books, gym memberships and exercise equipment. But how many of these options offer a program that includes an analysis of DNA?
Research is helping us understand that for some people, a given exercise or diet effort will yield far less results than it offers anyone else because of what's already coded in their DNA.
Enter Newtopia. Newtopia is a personalized lifestyle plan service designed to reinvent the weight loss industry and optimize health, balance and well-being. Newtopia founder, Jeff Ruby, has worked with some of the best and brightest leaders in wellness and medicine at Canyon Ranch and The Cleveland Clinic. He learned that sustainable weight loss and healthy living is a lifestyle issue that requires the effective combination of nutrition, exercise and behavior management. Jeff brought together an interdisciplinary team of leading experts to build a program that is accessible to those who can't afford an expensive wellness resort or a medical institute -- and he provides this service to people right in their homes.
Newtopia's program combines personal coaching integrating nutrition, exercise and behavior management, lifestyle assessment, personality, wireless monitoring tools and genetics. Newtopia customers are mailed an Oragene•DNA kit in which they provide a small saliva sample and return it, by mail, to Newtopia. Newtopia's genetics team analyzes the DNA saliva sample and uses the information to offer each customer a unique profile. The Newtopia genetic testing is designed to reveal genetic tendencies related to weight loss, allowing Jeff and his team to fine tune a personalized program to meet each customer's unique needs.
Newtopia founder Jeff Ruby states "It is often only when a health issue touches you personally that you stop taking good health for granted. For me it was my father's illness with cancer that drew me towards the world of health and well-being. I was astonished to note the lack of day-to-day guidance and services combining nutrition, exercise and well-being to help people live healthy, balanced lives."
Why Oragene•DNA? Newtopia needed a DNA collection product that was easy-to-use, provided high quality and quantity of DNA, could be transported through the mail, and was stable at ambient temperature. Oragene•DNA was the only product that satisfied all their criteria.
Newtopia is a unique example of a new and growing service that uses Oragene•DNA. We love hearing how our customers are using our products. Do you have a story to tell about how you're using Oragene•DNA? If so, let us know. In the meantime, post a comment and let us know what you think of this topic.
If you're a regular follower of DNA Genotek, you likely know that we are active participants in a variety of DNA collection events to support disease research. You might be familiar with our participation in Spit for the Cure breast cancer events or with our on-site collection at the National Walk for Epilepsy. But I'll bet you never imagined this type of DNA collection event would go to the dogs.
But this is exactly what happened. A few weeks ago, one of our customers approached us about on-site canine DNA collection at The Ninth Annual American Kennel Club/Eukanuba National Championship Dog Show. Dr. Nick Duesbery, of the Van Andel Research Institute, saw an opportunity to very quickly ramp up their canine DNA collection effort at the largest national dog show in the U.S. with the Oragene•ANIMAL DNA collection kit . The show presented them with an opportunity to collect DNA from a wide variety of dog breeds in a very short period of time. It was an opportunity not to be missed.
Dr. Duesbery is working on a project to study cancer susceptibility in dogs. Because many of the diseases that affect man's best friend also affect us, understanding canine cancer could have a profound affect on human cancer research. Compared with other animal models, the dog may also prove invaluable in the development of cancer drugs, because dogs develop cancers that share many characteristics with human malignancies.
Armed with boxes of Oragene•ANIMAL kits at a booth in the exhibit hall, Dr. Duesbery, the principal investigator of the study, and his research team set to work. They visited owners at grooming tables, in their booth, and even on the show floor. Keep in mind that these are show dogs and like humans, they get the jitters before big events. Despite pre-event nerves, owners were very receptive to collecting DNA from their dogs.
The result - 750 samples were collected. This is the largest number of canine saliva/DNA samples any canine research group has ever collected at an event.
So what's next? Well, Dr. Duesbery and his team hope to collect 10,000 canine samples in the next 3 years. He will do this by sending kits directly to the home of dog owners and with more event based collections like this one.
Dr. Duesbery commented: "The Oragene•ANIMAL kits provide a kinder and gentler sampling protocol for dogs. Pet owners can easily collect the DNA themselves at home or at dog shows. We were able to collect samples throughout the American Kennel Club/Eukanuba national event without creating any unnecessary anxiety for the animals. This is critical for successful canine DNA collection."
After a day and a half at the Plant and Animal Genome Conference (PAG), I'm more convinced than ever that Performagene•LIVESTOCK will expedite advances in livestock genetic science. We've had researchers from both livestock and crop applications come by our booth to ask about the Performagene•LIVESTOCK product and how they can use it in their studies. The most frequent comment we're hearing from attendees is that it is very difficult to get producers to comply with their research studies. This is often due to the high cost of having a veterinarian do a blood draw and the invasive nature of this type of collection.
Blood has typically been the preferred method for collecting DNA from livestock for research studies (compared to hair follicles or ear punches) due to the quality and quantity of DNA in the sample. Here at PAG, livestock and crop researchers have learned that Performagene•LIVESTOCK's nasal sample collection kit provides equal quality DNA to blood and sufficient quantity to run multiple assays while still providing the researcher with enough raw sample to bank for future projects. All this is achieved with a completely non-invasive DNA collection method. This is a first for the livestock industry.
Yesterday I presented DNA Genotek's poster titled: "High Yield, High Quality Genomic DNA From Cattle Nasal Samples Using Performagene•LIVESTOCK". The people attending this poster session were excited about the results we obtained from nasal samples compared to blood and tail hair. This poster shows that the Performagene•LIVESTOCK DNA collection method yields a high quantity and high quality of genomic DNA. This study reports that the purified DNA is suitable for any downstream application and that DNA collected from nasal samples performs the same as DNA from blood.
Finally, the day ended on a very positive note with Genome Alberta announcing that they will be allocating $5 million in competitive research grants for livestock genetic research. This is particularly exciting for us as the majority of livestock genetics experts recognize that as downstream applications become more complex, tail hair isn't sufficient to satisfy assay requirements. Performagene•LIVESTOCK is designed for just these types of applications as it offers decreased hands on time to process the sample and results in DNA of high quality suitable for all downstream applications.
It's been a great start to this conference and I'm looking forward to the rest of the day. Be sure to let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment.
At the 2010 Plant and Animal Genome Conference in San Diego, DNA Genotek officially launched our newest sample collection product called Performagene•LIVESTOCK. Performagene•LIVESTOCK, a simple and easy-to-use nasal collection device for cattle, sheep and swine, provides high quality and high quantity DNA that remains stable at ambient temperatures.
Most genetic products currently used in the livestock industry are designed for parentage testing but the opportunity for significant gains in productivity is accelerating research into breed improvements. DNA samples collected with Performagene•LIVESTOCK can be used to identify markers for applications such as parentage as well as genotyping livestock for economically important traits including disease resistance, milk production, marbling and feed efficiency. This research allows producers to make more informed breeding and management decisions.
Why Livestock Genetics?
The livestock industry is facing more challenges than ever before. This makes it critical for producers to focus on successful strategies for their business. The biggest benefit from livestock genetics will be the ability to leverage genetic information to select and breed animals of superior quality.
All genetic analysis starts with the collection of a DNA sample. While genetic breeding in livestock is advancing at a tremendous pace, advancements in sample collection methods were not. This is where Performagene•LIVESTOCK comes in. Just like we did with human DNA collection, we developed a product that makes DNA collection easy, effective and reliable. This simple and easy-to-use kit follows in the footsteps of Oragene•DNA and Oragene•ANIMAL and will change how people think about DNA collection in the livestock industry.
To see how easy the product is to use, take a look at this video.
How is Performagene•LIVESTOCK Different?
Previous DNA sample sources in the livestock industry such as semen, blood, hair follicles or ear tissue have been inconvenient for the producer to collect or difficult, unreliable and costly to process in the lab. The major difference with Performagene•LIVESTOCK is that it is an integrated collection device that not only makes the sample collection quicker and easier for the producer, but actually starts the sample preparation while it's being transported to the DNA testing lab. This provides the lab with a ready-to-process sample that is very easy to integrate into their automated systems. The product is designed to merge the sampling needs of the producer with the processing requirements at the lab in one economical product. This reduces the cost of the entire DNA testing process and enables high-throughput DNA testing of livestock. Performagene•LIVESTOCK provides a reliable, high quality, high quantity DNA sample that performs exceptionally well on commonly used assays for parentage and genotyping such as microsatellites, SNP genotyping and microarrays.
Reviews from Livestock Producers
A December 2009 survey of producers validated that while blood or hair follicles are currently being used for DNA sampling, producers are open to new methods that are easier, more reliable or more cost-effective. DNA Genotek's Performagene•LIVESTOCK is hitting the mark. After using the product, 94% of those surveyed indicated that ease-of-use was the number one benefit associated with DNA Genotek's Performagene•LIVESTOCK product. 82% found the collection process quicker compared to their current method. A resounding 94% of those surveyed stated they would switch to Performagene•LIVESTOCK for their DNA collection. We always work closely with those that we develop products for to ensure that we are satisfying real needs. This feedback is validation that we translated the challenges we heard from producers into the creation of a product that meets their requirements.
We Owe Special Thanks
Launching a new product into a new market is challenging. We feel we're off to a great start with Performagene•LIVESTOCK but we couldn't have done it without the help we received from so many people. In particular, we would like to thank the following people for their incredible contributions: Donnie, Rhonda and Bruce MacLeod from Orchard Gore Farms; Bruce Mann, Dale Kelly and team from Saskatchewan Research Council; as well as Douglas Hedley.
We will provide you with further information on this product and updates from the Plant and Animal Genome Conference later this week in The Genetic Link. In the meantime, let us know what you think about this new product by leaving a comment.
I have to admit, coming up with DNA Genotek's "Top 10 list for 2009" was more difficult than I imagined it would be. There are so many great things that happened in the past year - in our company, with our customers, and in the field of genetics - but I think I've got it narrowed down to those that are most significant.
DNA Genotek's "Top 10 list for 2009" is based on my own experience and things that I observed or learned over the past year. The list is by no means comprehensive, but I assure you that these are the 10 things I'll remember most from 2009.
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In 2009, I was amazed at the rate of advancement our customers achieved in genetic understanding and I'm excited about the impact these advancements could have on science, medicine and health. Whether it was research into the genetic link for autism, ADHD, diabetes, cancer or tropical diseases, each provides another piece of the puzzle and may one day unlock the mysteries of these and other diseases.
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We expanded our product portfolio in 2009 and launched our first DNA collection product designed for non-humans.
Oragene•ANIMAL was officially introduced to the market in June and very quickly had a major impact. The product has been used in international studies like the one designed to find the genetic cause of
Chiari-like Malformation and syringomyelia in dogs and many others. We're already seeing
published research that demonstrates its' effectiveness compared to blood and buccal swabs. This is an exciting start for a new product in a new market.
- In 2009, we saw some great new customers join the DNA Genotek family. The Oragene•DNA product was selected by Prometheus as the sample collection kit for MyCeliacID, the first saliva-based genetic test dedicated to celiac disease. We continued to increase the number of customers we have and to grow our product usage within existing customer accounts. 23andMe, for example, added a number of new traits and health conditions to their service (which uses our product for DNA collection). This is, by far, the best testament to our product quality, reliability and ease of use.
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I was astounded by the rate of growth of Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS) in 2009. GWAS have contributed substantially to our understanding of disease and an increasing number of our customers are conducting GWAS. I look forward to the day that new and improved treatments and preventative measures are available based on the insights from these complex studies.
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In December of 2009, DNA Genotek was selected as a successful biotechnology company to be featured at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Even though the Olympics are still more than a month away, I feel like we've already won our gold medal.
- The creation of the DNA Genotek Helping Hands Program was another highlight for me. We launched new Spit for the Cure events in association with Susan G. Komen for the Cure, participated with the Columbia University Family Studies in Epilepsy to collect DNA samples on site at the National Walk for Epilepsy, and donated compression bandages to treat podoconiosis in Ethiopia. The goal of the program is to help accelerate research and advance the fight against disease across the globe. The program is young, but I'm optimistic about its potential for success and its ability to help our customers improve health worldwide.
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We saw phenomenal progression in genome mapping in 2009. The genomes of the domestic horse, giant panda, cow, turkey, corn, the Irish potato famine pathogen, and the date palm were all mapped along with many others. What this will mean is uncertain but the knowledge is sure to contribute to scientific advancement. For example, the successful sequencing of the cow genome could lead to treatments for malaria and the development of a 'super cow' that thrives in harsh conditions. Genetic information about the date palm is extremely valuable to researchers who are working to improve fruit yield and quality and to better understand susceptibility and resistance to disease. I can't wait to see what's next.
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We created the
DNA Genotek Partner Program late in 2009 and formalized the great relationships we have with so many institutions and partner companies. I look forward to even more growth in this area in 2010.
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Finally, I'm particularly proud of our employees and their attention to customers' needs. I watch them pull off small miracles on a daily basis - from driving through raging snowstorms to make sure a product gets to a customer on time, to impeccable attention to detail in our product customizations, to outstanding focus on quality. They do this because they believe in the work our customers are doing. They believe that one day, our products will ship to someone who will find a treatment or cure for a disease that impacts them, their family, or someone they know. Now that's motivation.
No article that includes a top 10 list for the year would be complete without mentioning New Year's resolutions. I considered all the usual New Year's resolutions both personally and for DNA Genotek. I even googled the top 10 most popular New Year's resolutions. None of them seemed appropriate. It really comes down to this -- for 2010, I resolve that we will increase our focus on product innovation so our customers continue to have the tools they need to make history by finding genetic links that can lead to a cure or new treatment for disease. Human genetics is incredibly complex, but equipped with the right tools, geneticists have a unique opportunity for unprecedented exploration into genetic links to disease. If we can do that, 2010 will be very successful for DNA Genotek.
I hope you enjoy the first of what I hope will become an annual Top 10 list. If you have ideas for our 2010 list or think I missed something that should be on our 2009 list, leave a comment and let me know.