Expression Analysis (EA), a Quintiles company based in Research Triangle Park, N.C., is co-sponsoring a grant program that provides scientists with leading-edge products and services to advance genomics research.

In the sixth year of the grant program, EA and co-sponsor, Illumina, will award two fully funded oncology research grants. Illumina is a California-based developer, manufacturer and marketer of integrated systems for the analysis of genetic variation and biological function.

Each grant will enable winners to investigate genomic data locked within Formalin-Fixed, Paraffin Embedded (FFPE) tumor samples—focusing on a largely untapped data pool in an effort to enhance researchers' understanding of cancer biology.

"Our grant program offers motivation, encouragement and resources to researchers who share our commitment to identify genetic factors that influence health and disease," said Steve McPhail, president of EA. "The grants serve to energize the quest for further advances in detecting biologically important genetic variations in oncology."

The 2014 Oncology Research Grant Program is focused on helping oncology researchers unlock the potential within FFPE tumor samples through the assessment of methylation status using the Illumina Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip and next-generation sequencing-based differential expression using the Illumina TruSeq RNA Access Library Prep Kit.

Grant applications will be reviewed and scored by technical experts at EA and Illumina. Applications for the grant are due Sept. 26, 2014.