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Philips and the Institute of Health Sciences Join Forces in Molecular Medicine

Posted on: Wednesday, 29 August 2007, 06:13 CDT

Royal Philips Electronics and the Institute of Health Sciences (IHS) today announced an agreement to establish a joint research laboratory within the IHS in Shanghai, China. The IHS is part of the Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences (SIBS) and is also affiliated to the Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine. The joint laboratory will conduct advanced research in the field of molecular medicine.

Philips and the IHS have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for a joint molecular medicine research program. The ultimate aim is to create new solutions for the early diagnosis of disease and for monitoring the effectiveness of subsequent treatment. Early diagnosis and personalized treatment will lead to increased comfort and better outcomes for patients. As part of this unique collaboration, Philips intends to locate a team of its own scientists at the joint research laboratory.

"This agreement to set up a joint research laboratory with the IHS in China is a prime example of the Open Innovation approach that Philips is taking in order to bring the many benefits of molecular medicine into patient care," says Rick Harwig, CTO of Royal Philips Electronics. "As an international company with an ambition to provide healthcare solutions that are tailored to local needs, we are delighted to be partnering with a Chinese institute that within the space of a few years has become renowned for its life sciences research."

"This collaboration will give us access to Philips' global research organization, especially the European laboratories, and should serve as a good example for further European collaborations," says Prof. Rongxing Gan, Vice President of SIBS. "The combination of our expertise in translational biomedical research and Philips' expertise in advanced medical instrumentation will definitely accelerate the development of new healthcare solutions for the Chinese people as well as people around the world."

In particular, research at the joint research laboratory will be aimed at biomarker discovery and test development for next-generation in-vitro diagnostic testing. Biomarkers are specific molecular compounds or molecular imbalances that indicate the presence of a disease. In-vitro diagnostic tests are clinical tests that are based on the detection of disease biomarkers in samples of body fluids such as blood, urine or saliva. Important application examples of next-generation in-vitro diagnostics are likely to include near-patient health monitoring at virtually every stage of clinical care, from routine screening right through to diagnosis, treatment and disease management.

Philips Research has already been building the necessary competencies in molecular biology, bioinformatics and molecular diagnostics on top of its diagnostic imaging and patient monitoring expertise. The most visible evidence of this is the establishment of a dedicated biomolecular life-sciences facility on the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven, the Netherlands.

A high resolution picture can be downloaded from: http://www.research.philips.com/newscenter/pictures/070829-join forces-pict.html (Due to its length, this URL may need to be copied/pasted into your Internet browser's address field. Remove the extra space if one exists.)

About the Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences/Institute of Health Sciences

The Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences (SIBS) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) represent eight world-leading institutes active in Life Sciences and have a history of more than 50 years of generating scientific and technological innovations. The mission of SIBS is to build up an internationally advanced biomedicine core competence in China and to obtain a world-leading position in scientific and technological innovation. In addition, the SIBS aims to promote the development of the Chinese biotechnology industry and become a training base for high-quality biotechnology talent.

The Institute of Health Sciences (IHS) was established in April 2002 by SIBS and Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine (SJTUSM, formerly Shanghai Second Medical University). By relying upon the leading position of SIBS and SJTUSM in Chinese basic biological research and clinical application, the mission of IHS is to conduct translational research from biological science to medical science, promoting the development of clinical applications through innovative research results. After more than five years of growth, the IHS has established a strong team of 24 research groups and made great achievements, focusing on the five centers of immune therapy, stem cell research, genetics and genomics, new medicine development and anti-retro diseases. More information on the SIBS can be found at: http://www.sibs.ac.cn/en/.

About Royal Philips Electronics

Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) is a global leader in healthcare, lifestyle and technology, delivering products, services and solutions through the brand promise of "sense and simplicity." Headquartered in the Netherlands, Philips employs approximately 125,800 employees in more than 60 countries worldwide. With sales of EUR 27 billion in 2006, the company is a market leader in medical diagnostic imaging and patient monitoring systems, energy efficient lighting solutions, personal care and home appliances, as well as consumer electronics. News from Philips is located at www.philips.com/newscenter.

Source: Business Wire

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