Oct 14 2008
BioNanomatrix, Inc., a developer of breakthrough nanoscale platforms for genetic diagnostics, personalized medicine and biomedical research, today announced the appointment of noted medical genomics researcher Pui-Yan Kwok, M.D., Ph.D., to its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). Dr. Kwok is Henry Bachrach Distinguished Professor at the University of California, San Francisco.
Dr. Kwok's research is focused on the development of new approaches to whole genome analysis and their application to gene mapping and haplotyping. He pioneered the high throughput discovery of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) across the human genome and was a member of the International HapMap Consortium Steering Committee. The inventor of several fluorescence-based SNP genotyping methods, Dr. Kwok more recently has been developing mapping and haplotyping methods based on microscopic analysis of single DNA molecules. He has authored over 110 publications and holds three patents.
"Pui-Yan has extensive experience in single-molecule DNA mapping and haplotyping, both as a distinguished research leader and as an inventor of novel genotyping methods," said Dr. Han Cao, chief scientific officer of BioNanomatrix. "His expertise should be especially valuable as we further develop our platform to image and analyze individual DNA molecules for the high-resolution mapping of labeled genomic sites, a project which is supported by a recent NIH grant to BioNanomatrix."
BioNanomatrix is applying its expertise in nanochips, nanodevices and nanosystems to develop its patented platform technology to provide fast, comprehensive, and low-cost analysis of genomic, epigenomic and proteomic information with sensitivity at the single-molecule level. Its current development efforts include a federally funded project in partnership with Complete Genomics, Inc. for low-cost sequencing of the human genome
"BioNanomatrix's single-molecule technology has the potential to transform whole genome imaging, enabling researchers to assemble haplotype maps with valuable contextual information much faster and more cost effectively in reliable standardized formats than with existing methods," said Dr. Kwok. "I look forward to working with the BioNanomatrix team to contribute to the development of this promising new approach, which could add to the understanding of complex genetic diseases by greatly increasing access to whole genome analysis."
Professor Kwok received Ph.D. and M.D. degrees from the University of Chicago. After completing his residency training at Washington University Medical Center, he was a postdoctoral fellow at Washington University and a visiting scientist at the University of Washington.