On a tour of leading organizations in New Jersey's First Congressional District, Congressman Rob Andrews stopped by Coriell Institute to speak with staff. Representative Andrews, a longstanding supporter of biomedical research, discussed the significance of encouraging scientific discovery and praised Coriell for developing South Jersey's medical and health care industries.

Tara Schmidlen, MS, CGC, is a genetic counselor at Coriell Institute. As part of the Coriell Personalized Medicine Collaborative Research Study Team, Schmidlen develops educational materials for study participants and provides free genetic counseling. Here she gives an example of two cancer-risk counseling cases.

Personalized medicine is the use of genomic information – in addition to family history, lifestyle, and environmental factors – to customize health management. By combining genomic and clinical information, more accurate predictions can be made about a person's susceptibility of developing disease, the course of disease, and response to treatment.

The Coriell Personalized Medicine Collaborative is enrolling individuals in a research study to investigate the impact of personalized medicine on health outcomes. Over the next several years, study participants will receive personalized results for their risks of complex diseases, as well as for their ability to metabolize certain medications.

In December 2011, Coriell's president and CEO, Michael Christman, PhD, delivered the 2011 Ullyot Public Affairs Lecture. Dr. Christman focused on the use of genetic information in the delivery of medical care. View the entire presentation to learn more about the exciting future of personalized medicine.

In May, Coriell hosted the What's In Your Genes? celebration at the prestigious Union League of Philadelphia. The event was an opportunity for regional leaders to gather and commemorate the innovations and achievements of Coriell's Personalized Medicine Collaborative research study. More than 250 distinguished guests attended this year's event; visit our photo gallery of the event, and read about the many highlights of the evening. 

Coriell Personalized Medicine Collaborative^® (CPMC^®) in partnership with Ohio State University Medical Center physicians is incorporating genetic risk information into patients’ electronic medical records. The goal of the CPMC study is to understand the utility of genome information in patient care and develop best practices for the field.

Human fibroblasts are specialized collagen-producing cells located in the dermis (inner) layer of the skin. Researchers can use these fibroblasts to derive stem cells for research. They were identified using a fluorescence stain against fibroblasts.

Understanding the molecular mechanisms and processes in living cells has been critical in understanding the basis for many diseases including those of genetic origin. As you pursue your basic or discovery research questions, Coriell’s Molecular Biology Group can help to design the best custom service using our technologies and expertise.

This is a human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell. It was a skin cell that was reprogrammed to become an undifferentiated cell that now the potential to become any one of the 200 cells types in our bodies. This ability to become multiple other cells is called pluripotency. The purple stain in this image indicates that the active protein (enzyme) that is indicative of pluripotency is present and active within the undifferentiated cell. This is one of the first tests scientist perform to determine whether a cell is pluripotent.