Seattle Mayor Ed Murray is looking to China in an effort to broker greater foreign direct investment in the city. A deal between UW Medicine and Shenzen, China-based genomics company BGI is one result.
"This agreement between the cities of Seattle and Shenzhen will encourage and support meaningful cooperation between two global leaders of innovation in medical research and technology," Mr. Murray said in a statement. "Ultimately, it will create new opportunities for our biotech and healthcare industries and help advance pioneering medical technology that will benefit patients, doctors and communities around the globe."
The collaboration was forged in a memorandum that also includes trade delegations between Seattle and two other Chinese cities, Hong Kong and Hangzhou.
The genomics research will focus on the use of next-generation sequencing in population health and personalized care. This spans methods of collection, storage, sharing and analysis for genetic information like DNA. The two institutions also plan to collaborate on the joint development of a Seattle-Shenzhen Institute with research outposts in each city.