Astellas Establishes Fund Laboratory 'Genome Medical Science Laboratory' at the University of Tokyo.

Tokyo, Sept 4, 2009 - (JCN) - Astellas Pharma Inc. has established a fund laboratory, the "Genome Medical Science Laboratory" of the Graduate School of Medicine and Faculty of Medicine, the University of Tokyo on September 1, 2009.

Malignant tumor is the most common cause of death in adults in developed countries and approximately 8 million people died from malignant tumor every year worldwide. The number of death caused by malignant tumor in developed countries are increasing and efficacy of the current treatment using anticancer agent has already reached its limit.

This fund laboratory seeks to elucidate the mechanism of tumorigenesis through large analysis of clinical samples using latest genomics technologies and to develop new treatment for cancer.

In this fund lecture, it will assemble cDNA expression libraries, from numbers of intracellular tumor clinical samples aiming at the functional screening of expressed genes in clinical samples. And genetic abnormality, which causes various cancer character such as transformability and tolerance of antitumor agents, will be identified.

In addition, it will elucidate the mechanism of tumorigenesis based on sequence abnormality through large sequencing analysis in cancer clinical sample genome.

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