Innovation & Research

NDRI Partnering with LifeGift for Developmental Genotype-Tissue Expression Project

December 10, 2021

The National Disease Research Interchange (NDRI) is partnering with LifeGift for the developmental Genotype-Tissue Expression (dGTEx) project. The dGTEx project is the first comprehensive public resource correlating gene expression and genetic variation in pediatric tissues from all major organ systems in the human body. In addition to LifeGift, NDRI also will collaborate with the Center for Organ Recovery and Education; ConnectLife; Donor Network West; Gift of Life Donor Program; Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency and Washington Regional Transplant Community.

The five-year dGTEx project is sponsored by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Other partners include Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital.

“NDRI is proud to partner with our esteemed collaborators and contribute our capabilities and expertise to the important goals of the dGTEx project,” says Bill Leinweber, president and CEO of NDRI.

NDRI and LifeGift, along with other partners, will provide a comprehensive network to identify eligible program donors, screen pediatric donation opportunities for potential donation to the project and contribute extensive expertise in tissue recovery to provide suitable biospecimens to the dGTEx Laboratory Data Analysis and Coordinating Center for cutting-edge experimental methodologies.

“LifeGift is excited to partner with NDRI in this very important five-year project to advance the science and understanding of how disease develops in children and adults,” says Kevin Myer, president and CEO of LifeGift. “We are deeply committed to research and innovation and we look forward to this project which is yet another great example of LifeGift serving our mission of offering hope.”

The dGTEx project joins other large-scale initiatives supported by the National Institutes of Health aiming to map human development. The collaborative effort will provide an unprecedented contribution to the advancement of pediatric research, ethical, legal, and social implications challenges in pediatric tissue donation, and the development of new clinical approaches to treat pediatric disorders.