The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital Attains CSP Status for Agilent Microarrays

Agilent Technologies said that The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital has achieved Certified Service Provider (CSP) status for Agilent microarrays.

Certification is for array-based comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) and gene expression assays on the Agilent platform. These microarrays are used to investigate the relationships between genes and health.

"It's very gratifying to see a major academic core research facility take the extra step of achieving CSP status, as this will leverage their expertise and the benefits of the technology to a wider range of disease researchers," said Chris Grimley, Agilent senior marketing director, Genomics. "Investigators demand the highest degree of proficiency when they send precious samples for microarray analysis, and The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's hospital is responding to their needs in this highly competitive field."

"We provide our clients with a complete solution for their genomics research, from the initial steps of experimental design to the production of high-quality, comprehensively analyzed data sets," said Peter White, Ph.D., director of the Biomedical Genomics Core, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital. "The investigators working with us have been tremendously happy with the data we produce, which has led to rapidly growing demand for our Agilent gene expression and CGH services. We're committed to producing publication-quality data sets and so obtaining CSP status was the logical next step for us. In line with our institute's mission to 'enhance the health of children by engaging in high-quality, cutting-edge research according to the highest scientific and ethical standards,' the CSP program provides us with a way of assuring our clients that they are getting the best possible service."

Gene expression microarrays enable researchers to observe which genes are "turned on" and "off," and is the most popular microarray application. aCGH measures extra copies or missing sections in the genome, which are increasingly being associated with a number of widespread disorders.

Agilent is a worldwide provider of microarray-based, genomics research solutions.

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