The Institute for Genomic Medicine (IGM) and the Department of Pathology and Cell Biology are pleased to announce the formation of a new joint initiative designed to enhance constitutional genomic diagnostics, research, and education at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC).
The newly created Precision Genomics Laboratory (PGL) is jointly led by Dr. David Goldstein, Director of the IGM, and Dr. Kevin Roth, Chair of the Department of Pathology and Cell Biology and Pathologist-in-Chief at CUMC. The clinical laboratory will be under the supervision of Dr. Steven Spitalnik, Vice-Chair of Laboratory Medicine, and Dr. Vimla Aggarwal, Assistant Professor of Pathology and Cell Biology (in the IGM), will serve as the PGL Medical Director. Dr. Tom Maniatis, Director of the Columbia Precision Medicine Initiative (CPMI), welcomes the PGL as an integral pillar of Precision Medicine activities at Columbia.
The PGL will offer state-of the-art constitutional, next-generation sequencing (NGS) in a CLIA-certified, CAP-accredited clinical environment and serve the needs of patients, physicians, and scientific investigators. By combining cutting-edge genomics research with clinically actionable genomics testing, the PGL will provide patients, families, and physicians with unprecedented information with which to make informed health decisions.
The PGL will additionally enhance the University-wide, interdisciplinary, Precision Medicine Initiative by offering unique training opportunities and new avenues for novel diagnostic genomics test development. The overarching mission of the PGL is to apply advanced genomic science in a clinically actionable setting to improve the diagnosis and treatment of human disease.
The PGL will initially offer New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) approved assays for diagnostic exomes and specific carrier screening tests. In close partnership with CUMC clinical departments, the PGL plans to rapidly expand its test offerings to meet the growing clinical need for complex and accurate genomics testing.
If you have questions or suggestions for PGL partnerships and/or high priority test development, please contact Dr. Vimla Aggarwal (vsa2105@cumc.columbia.edu(link sends e-mail)).
