Polo GGB
Polo GGB, a center for innovation in genomics, genetics and biology, is a highly specialized center in the Life Sciences field. It is based in Tuscany, at the Toscana Life Sciences Foundation bioincubator, where its Genomics Platform is located; it also has offices in Umbria (Perugia and Terni), where its Genetics & Ecology and Immunoassay Platforms are located.Polo GGB is a platform of different technologies that work together in an integrated manner, creating a company that promotes innovation in genetics and genomics and creates added value with technology transfer to companies.
The Genomics Platform of Polo GGB is committed to delivering next-generation sequencing services with Illumina instrumentation and bioinformatics services for research applications in genomics, metagenomics, transcriptomics and epigenetics, and clinical/diagnostic applications with the realization of sequencing panels and bioinformatics analysis customized to meet customers’ different and individual needs. The Genomics Platform is based in Siena, at the Toscana Life Sciences Foundation bioincubator. Polo GGB shares the ambitious goal with TLS of developing an infrastructure for technological support to the growth of “precision medicine” in Tuscany and the integration of various disciplines: genetics, bioinformatics and computational sciences for the development of predictive models.
The Ecology & Genetics Platform of Polo GGB at the Perugia and Terni headquarters is engaged in cutting-edge research for the control of disease-carrying vectors. In particular, Polo GGB’s research team is engaged in the development of genetically modified mosquitoes for malaria control with the project "Target Malaria" in collaboration with Imperial College in London. Target Malaria is a research consortium that aims to develop genetic control measures against malaria vectors and is supported by a grant from the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) through an initiative of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The Perugia and Terni locations have technologically advanced facilities for the confined release of genetically modified insects that are among the largest in Europe.
Polo GGB’s Immunoassay Platform is based in Terni and is dedicated to the production of monoclonal antibodies (MAb) that are highly characterized in terms of specificity and cross-reactivity through the use of microarrays that allow the simultaneous screening of the repertoire of antigens used for immunization and the development, in prototype form, of diagnostic assays for the immunological field.
Polo GGB is also involved in several research projects. It is a partner of INFRAVEC, the European infrastructure for the control of vectors. INFRAVEC is a consortium that includes 20 European institutions (research centers, companies and universities) that share unique technological platforms and infrastructures in the field of genetics, ecology, and vector control in order to study mosquitoes infected with viruses under the safest conditions. The objective of INFRAVEC, supported by the EU with a total financing of € 10M, is to enable small laboratories and individual researchers to obtain access to the network of infrastructures.
In order to foster the exchange of knowledge and experience with domestic and foreign research institutions, Polo GGB is a partner in researcher mobility projects, including the Vaccine Survey project, which has the goal of developing an innovative tool to monitor the performance of different vaccination programs in disadvantaged countries, and the Procrop project for the study of new genetic approaches for the implementation of agricultural crops.
www.pologgb.com
