The Jackson Laboratory has signed a collaborative clinical genomics research agreement with three groups in China.

Specifically, the Jackson Lab has partnered with the Wenzhou Municipal People's Government, Ouhai District People's Government (WZ), and Wenzhou Medical University and its affiliated hospitals (WMU) to research genomic propensities for disease.

Under the terms of the agreement, WZ and WMU will form the Wenzhou Institute for Genomic Medicine (WIGM), which will conduct research under the scientific direction and management of the Jackson Lab. Jackson Lab scientists will also form medical genomics research collaborations with WMU investigators in the US and China. There are already some collaborations underway examining the structure of DNA, the development of cardiomyopathies, and pediatric brain tumors.

The Jackson Lab will initially establish a clinical research presence on the WMU campus and in the Life & Health Town of Ouhai District, where approximately 50 to 70 new staff in six research groups will conduct research and clinical genomics. Later, a standalone facility for the WIGM will be built in the Life & Health Town, where an additional 200 faculty and staff will be employed in 15 planned research groups.