The coriell institute for Medical Research, located on the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey campus in Camden, New Jersey, is a not-for-profit research institution founded in 1953 by Dr. Lewis Coriell. Dr. Coriell designed breakthrough cell line storage and processing technologies in the early 1950s. This technology allowed other scientists to create vaccines (including the polio vaccine by Dr. Salk and Dr. Sabin) and treatments.
In 1956 laboratory space was provided to researchers by the South Jersey Medical Research Foundation. The name was changed to the Institute for Medical Research in 1966 and finally to the Coriell Institute for Medical Research to honor Dr. Coriell when he retired in 1985.
The Coriell Institute remains at the forefront of cell technology, with scientists working on cell cultures, cell characterization, and cryopreservation and electronic catalogs. The Coriell Institute focuses on research, cell banking, and public education.
research
Research at Coriell from the very beginning has been both basic (fundamental processes and principles) and clinical (applied research toward therapeutic use). Research topics at the institute have ranged from cancer, environmental mutagens, human cytogenetics, medical and laboratory clean rooms, and infectious diseases, to methods to improve cell culture techniques.
The Coriell Institute has developed expertise in human cell culturing techniques that has become standard in research laboratories, including the techniques for freezing and thawing cells, sterile handling of cultures, and specialized containment hoods. Dr. Coriell initiated the first studies using liquid nitrogen for very low temperature freezing and storage of skin and blood cell cultures.
Under the leadership of Dr. Michael Christman, the Coriell Institute has established the Delaware Valley Personalized Medicine Project (genetic profiling and correlation with health/disease risks and treatment response). The research will require the cooperation of area hospitals including Cooper Hospital (adjacent to Coriell Institute) to enroll patient volunteers in this genetic study correlating disease, treatment, and prognosis to the individual genetic profile. Coriell Institute researchers will attempt to discover presently unknown genes correlated with increased risk for diseases, to understand differing patient responses to treatments, and to determine confidentiality and use of the resulting information for medical applications by patients and their treating physicians and healthcare team. A current clinical research program in stem cell biology involves a partnership between Coriell Institute and the Cooper Heart Institute at Cooper University Hospital. The research focuses on repairing damaged heart cells using stem cells from cord blood.
cell banking
Coriell Institute maintains the largest, most extensive cell line and tissue repositories spanning six familial cancer classifications and 26 major diseases (their full repository profile can be accessed on the Web at www.coriell.org). In 1964 the National Cancer Institute funded the first standard characterized cell repository at the Coriell Institute. Coriell expanded its cell banking capabilities to include the Human Genetic Mutant Cell Repository in 1972 and the national Aging Cell Repository in 1974. A partnership with BioRep in Milan, Italy, has created the largest cryogenic cell line repository in the world.
In 2007 Coriell established a multimillion dollar Genotyping and Microarray Center—a facility that processes up to 2000 DNA or RNA samples per month. This high-capacity facility consists of state-of-the-art equipment and receives samples from laboratories around the world requesting genotyping and microarray analysis.
Cell cultures and DNA can be established from blood or skin for genetic disease research. Lymphocytes (white blood cells) can be immortalized with a virus and then replicated indefinitely in culture medium. Fibroblasts (cells from a skin biopsy) can be used to establish a cell line, though their growth in culture medium is time limited. These cells can then be frozen and stored at Coriell Institute. The cells are stored in 750,000 vials in 62 giant tanks full of liquid nitrogen, held at -316 degrees F.
Scientists from around the world have access to more than 120,000 cell lines for their research. Coriell reports it has distributed more than 160,000 cell lines in addition to over 50,000 DNA samples a year to researchers in 62 nations. Its cell lines have been used by the Human Genome Project (global program for mapping the human genome) and by the International HapMap Project (to identify genes causing disease).
NEW JERSEY STEM CELL RESOURCE
In December 2005 New Jersey became the first state to finance research using human embryonic stem cells, including cell lines prohibited from use in research by federal funding restrictions. The Ellie Katz Umbilical Cord Blood Program and the Coriell Institute for Medical Research received $350,000 each in December 2005 to create the nation’s first public cord and placental blood bank for stem cell research.
The New Jersey Stem Cell Resource (NJSCR), located at the Coriell Institute, was created by an executive order of the governor enacted on October 18, 2005. The Coriell Institute (also home to the New Jersey Cord Blood Bank) established a research bank to provide umbilical cord blood and placenta stem cell samples for New Jersey scientists and for researchers around the world. NJSCR also stocks cord blood mononuclear cells, CD34+ stem cells, CD34 depleted mononuclear cells, cord blood, mesenchymal stromal cells, and placental mesenchymal stromal cells. The center also accepts custom orders for fresh cord blood, fresh umbilical cords and placentas, and custom cell selection.
