Today, Genedata announced the extension of a collaborative agreement with the Supercomputing Institute for Digital Simulation and Advanced Computation of the University of Minnesota. As part of the agreement, the Institute has extended the license for Expressionist(TM), the Genedata computational system for large-scale gene expression analysis. Expressionist(TM) enables researchers to make the best use of the vast amount of data derived from high-density microarrays and other sources to explore gene expression alterations in a wide variety of research areas such as health care and agrobiochemistry. Scientists at the Institute are working to identify of genes and their functions involved in allergen sensitivity in asthma, autoimmune diseases, lung rejection, and multiple sclerosis as well as in reproductive and vegetative development in plants. Dr. Patton Fast, Basic Sciences Computing Laboratory Manager at the Institute, states: "We provide access to high performance software and assistance with all aspects of scientific computing and visualization to academic and commercial institutions throughout the state. Gene expression data analysis has become an increasingly important part of biological research. As an enterprise-wide computational system, Expressionist(TM) allows us to offer a comprehensive solution to a very large user community. The system not only provides sophisticated biostatistical analysis, but also addresses the critical issues in gene expression profiling, such as quality assessment and data standardization." "Our system is specifically developed for large scale, highly automated gene expression analysis, and allows scientists to share expression data and analysis results," adds Matthew Trunnell, Managing Director of Genedata USA. "The University of Minnesota provides a diverse community of users whose input enables us to continuously design systems and solutions that address the most pressing needs of researchers in the field."