Center for Integrated Bioinformatics

BioAdvance has joined forces with the region’s leading universities and life science companies to form the Greater Philadelphia Bioinformatics Alliance (GPBA):

• Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
• Drexel University
• Fox Chase Cancer Center
• Penn State Great Valley
• Temple University
• Thomas Jefferson University
• University of Pennsylvania
• University of the Sciences Philadelphia
• Wistar Institute

The mission of the GPBA is to accelerate innovation in the life sciences through the application of bioinformatics. The Alliance links the region’s deep knowledge base of talented bioinformatics researchers and practitioners with the needs of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, creating synergies that benefit both academia and industry. The GPBA’s initial efforts are directed toward achieving the following four objectives:

• Building multilevel education and training programs in bioinformatics to develop and maintain a skilled workforce.
  
  
• Creating a robust bioinformatics network among academia, industry, government and venture capitalists.
  
  
• Forming a “computational orchestra” to catalyze and capture innovation in bioinformatics and biomedicine.
  
  
• Building a commercialization infrastructure for innovative ideas and technologies in the bioinformatics field.

The formation of the GPBA began in 2002 with an initiative of the University of Pennsylvania to create a regional inter-institutional “center of excellence” in bioinformatics and systems biology. The effort was well received both by the regional universities and biomedical institutions-as well as by BioAdvance, which provided initial funding to support the growth of the GPBA.