CHERRY HILL, NJ – U.S. Congressman Donald Norcross (NJ-01) announced today that the Coriell Institute for Medical Research, located in Camden, has been awarded a $9.2 million grant through an open competition from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS). This five-year award keeps Coriell in place as the steward of the NIGMS Human Genetic Cell Repository, a world-renowned collection of high-quality cell lines and DNA samples representing genetic diseases, distinct human populations around the world, and more.

“South Jersey continues to lead the way in medical research, and having the Coriell Institute right in our backyard sets us apart,” said Congressman Norcross. “Coriell is one of the most respected biobanks in the world, and this grant will keep in place one of its most valued collections. I’m excited to see what our brilliant researchers will discover next.”

The NIGMS Human Genetic Cell Repository holds and distributes over 11,700 unique cell lines, and more than 6,300 DNA samples. It also contains nearly 60 human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines, a growing focus of the collection. These samples represent a wide variety of disease states, chromosomal abnormalities and samples from apparently healthy individuals from diverse ethnic backgrounds.

“Coriell has been the trusted steward of the NIGMS Human Genetic Cell Repository since its inception at Coriell in 1972, and we are eager to continue this collaboration into the future,” said Nahid Turan, PhD, Coriell’s Chief Biobanking Officer. “In the almost five decades of this collection’s existence, it has become a critical part of the global research infrastructure, offering scientists around the world one-of-a-kind biological samples they can trust to enable their research.”

“The importance of the NIGMS Human Genetic Cell Repository in the rare disease community cannot be overstated,” said Deborah Requesens, PhD, the Principal Investigator of this collection at Coriell. “It allows patients and families to participate in research, making their own samples available to scientists around the world. When patients donate to the NIGMS Human Genetic Cell Repository, they are contributing in a tangible way to the discovery of treatments and cures for their disease.”

The Coriell Institute for Medical Research, founded in 1953, is a nonprofit research institute. Coriell is one of the world's leading biobanks and distributes biological samples and offers research and biobanking services to scientists around the globe.