BOZEMAN, Mont.–Golden Helix, Inc., the global leader in genetic association software, today announced it has expanded its collaboration program to refine and advance the science of copy number analysis. The company recently signed five additional academic institutions to the program, bringing the total to 11. Those added include Imperial College London, University of Edinburgh, University of Alabama at Birmingham, University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein (Kiel, Germany) and The Hospital for Sick Children (Toronto, Canada).

“Gaining a better understanding of copy number variation is critical to understanding human disease,” said Stephen Scherer, Director of The Centre for Applied Genomics at The Hospital for Sick Children and Professor of Molecular Genetics at the University of Toronto, a leading scientist in the copy number variation field. “Golden Helix is making extraordinary progress in terms of providing tools to analyze this data, especially in the context of whole genome association studies. The sheer size, complexity, and novelty of these studies present numerous challenges, and it will take collaborative efforts such as this one to maximize the opportunity for success.”

Altogether, the collaborations cover a diverse set of diseases and sample characteristics as well as data generated from multiple Illumina and Affymetrix genotyping platforms. According to the agreement, Golden Helix will provide data processing, quality control, analysis, and consulting services in exchange for the purchase of its software and feedback to help improve its products and services.

“Copy number analysis is an exciting area of research because of its potential impact on how we understand and treat disease,” stated Dr. Christophe Lambert, CEO of Golden Helix and Co-Chair of the FDA’s Genome-Wide Copy Number Variation Data Analysis Team. “Collaborating with these leading institutions will be invaluable for helping develop and improve the analytic methods needed to advance this field.”

About Golden Helix

Founded in 1998, Golden Helix has become the global leader in SNP analysis and genetic association software. The company’s products are used by hundreds of researchers at the world’s top pharmaceutical, biotech and non-profit research organizations, and have been cited in over 100 peer reviewed publications that detail ground-breaking research uncovering the genetic and environmental basis of disease. Golden Helix is committed to Accelerating the Quest for Significance. For more information, please visit www.goldenhelix.com.