Baylor College of Medicine to partner with Berry Genomics Co.

Baylor College of Medicine's Medical Genetics Laboratory has announced it will partner with Berry Genomics for work in the field of prenatal genetic testing.

Berry Genomics is a biotechnology company in China with a focus on the use of noninvasive technology to examine the DNA of a fetus in maternal plasma. The partnership will merge Berry Genomics' work with college's knowledge of microarrays for DNA analysis.

"We are very pleased to enter this agreement with Baylor College of Medicine," said Dr. Daixing Zhou, CEO of Berry Genomics. "Noninvasive prenatal testing and microarray technology are rapidly changing the way we detect genetic diseases. By collaborating with Baylor College of Medicine, we are now able to offer the complete solutions for prenatal screening and diagnosis."

According to a press release from the college, "BCM's Medical Genetics Lab has pioneered the development and use of microarray technology for the testing of prenatal/pediatric genetic disorders for more than 50,000 cases. The microarray testing uses a gene chip to assess the makeup of chromosomes (organized structures of DNA and proteins that are found in cells) in a particular part of the human genome (genetic blue print). In areas of the genome, there are portions of the genetic material that show imbalances because they are duplicated or deleted abnormally with gains and losses of genetic information that may signal risk for a genetic disorder."

The announcement was made Thursday, Jan. 3.

Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, the only private medical school in the Greater Southwest, is recognized as a premier academic health science center and is known for excellence in education, research and patient care.

For more information, call 713-798-4710, email picton@bcm.edu or visit www.bcm.edu.