Illumina Announces Multi-Million Dollar Agreement with Erasmus Medical Center

Illumina today announced that Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam has purchased Infinium HD (High-Density) Human610-Quad BeadChips for the analysis of 10,000 samples and a third scanner to support the Generation R Study. Designed to identify early environmental and genetic causes of normal and abnormal growth, development, and health from fetal life until young adulthood, the Generation R Study is a population-based prospective cohort study of almost 10,000 children and their parents. The Generation R Study is funded by the Erasmus Medical Center, the Dutch government, and other industry partners.

“In our human genotyping facility sample throughput is critical to our success,” said Andre Uitterlinden of the department of Internal Medicine at Erasmus Medical Center. “When Illumina launched their HumanHap550 BeadChip last year, we used this product in close collaboration with the Department of Epidemiology to study 10,000 individuals for the development of several late-age diseases in the Rotterdam Study. Soon after, Illumina introduced their HumanHap550-Duo BeadChip, which we immediately converted to so that we could double our sample throughput. Now, with the Human610-Quad BeadChip we can increase our throughput four-fold, plus gain access to content only found on Illumina arrays.”

The Generation R Study is conducted in Rotterdam, the second largest city in the Netherlands. The study focuses on four primary areas of research: (1) growth and physical development; (2) behavioral and cognitive development; (3) diseases in childhood; and (4) health and healthcare for pregnant women and children.

“By purchasing another scanner and moving to Illumina’s four-sample BeadChip we are gaining speed and efficiency that is otherwise not available to us. Similar to previous cohort studies initiated by Erasmus Medical Center, we hope that the Generation R Study unveils results that help us contribute to the development of strategies for optimizing health and healthcare for pregnant women and children,” said Professor Albert Hofman, chair of the Generation R Study Group.

The four-sample Infinium HD Human610-Quad BeadChip provides increased sample throughput and reduced handling in the lab. The Human610-Quad BeadChip has 550,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from the HumanHap550 BeadChip, plus an additional 60,000 genetic markers, including high-value, proprietary CNV content developed in conjunction with deCODE genetics.

“Adoption of our new high-density, four-sample BeadChip for whole-genome association studies demonstrates the confidence that customers, like Erasmus Medical Center, have in Illumina’s BeadArray technology,” said Tristan Orpin, Senior Vice President of Illumina’s Commercial Operations. “Combined with the new Human1M-Duo these tools provide our customers with significant advances that will speed the discovery of complex disease.”