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April is Autism Acceptance Month, starting with Autism Awareness Day on April 2nd. On March 4, 2021, The Autism Society of America made an important verbiage change – what was once Autism Awareness Month is now officially known as Autism Acceptance Month.

Autism is one of the leading developmental disabilities in the world, affecting 1 in 44 people, and if diagnosed by age 4, children are 50 times more likely to receive services and care that they need. As it is a spectrum disorder with many varying behaviors and symptoms, the care needed is unique to the individual’s needs. This is why Autism awareness, and most importantly acceptance, is so important – those with autism are able to lead full and rich lives with their diagnoses. The Autism Society strives “to create connections, empowering everyone in the Autism community with the resources needed to live fully,” and has been for 57 years. This is their 4th year in a row promoting the #CelebrateDifferences campaign, aiming to inform, educate, and connect those in need with the appropriate resources to live a full life. The Autism Society of America website is a wealth of resources, so if you’re looking to get involved, donate, or promote Autism Acceptance within your own community, they are a great place to start: autismsociety.org/autism-acceptance-month.

Key Autism Stats

• Defined as “Spectrum Condition” as it has a certain set of behaviors that affect different individuals to varying degrees
• Affects 1 in 44 children in the US according to CDC studies
• Can be diagnosed as early as age 2, most are diagnosed after age 4
• ⅓ of autistic children also have an intellectual disability
• 31% of children with autism have an intellectual disability, 25% are in the borderline range, 44% have IQ scores in the average to above average range 
• Affects all people, across ethnic and socioeconomic groups, though minorities tend to be diagnosed later and less often
• 40% of people with autism are nonverbal
• Nearly half “wander” or “bolt from safety”
• Nearly 28% have self-injurious behaviors – headbanging, arm biting, skin scratching
• Boys are 4 times as likely to develop autism as girls their age. Recent research suggests girls show signs of autism differently than boys, possibly leading to a lower rate of diagnosis.
• Children who are diagnosed with autism by age 4 are 50x more likely to receive services
• No known cure, but treatments are available to reduce symptoms
• “Autism” derives from the Greek word “autos” meaning self – “Autism” is defined as “alone”
• Research indicates genetics are involved in the majority of autism cases

Sampled working with key Autism organizations

Here at Sampled, we are immensely proud to be able to support two of the leading research centres that investigate the genetic causes of autism. Sampled initially began working with Autism Speaks in 1998 and then began working with The Simons Foundation in 2007 and have since maintained close ties with both groups.

The Simons Foundation established the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI) with a mission to improve the understanding, diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders by funding innovative research of the highest quality and relevance. With Sampled’s labs, the Simons Simplex Collection (SSC) was developed as the gold standard of collecting and safely storing thousands of DNA samples associated with detailed phenotypic data from parents and children. In an effort that continues to this day, this collection of samples has enabled researchers to identify a number of genes that have the potential to yield valuable insights into the causes of and potential therapies for autism.

By working closely with Autism Speaks, Sampled was able to participate in the launch of the Autism Genetic Research Exchange (AGRE). AGRE is an collection of DNA samples processed by Sampled that have been sequenced and analyzed by researchers around the world. It is the largest private, open-access repository of clinical and genetic information dedicated to help autism research. Research on the samples in these two collections resulted in the publication of hundreds of papers advancing our understanding of the genetic components in autism and related behavioural disorders.

If you are interested in the work we do in Autism or other developmental disabilities, reach out to a member of our team today here.

Autism Society:

• https://autismsociety.org/national-statement-autism-society-addresses-increased-autism-prevalence-rates-in-2021-cdc-report/
• https://autismsociety.org/

-National Today:

• https://nationaltoday.com/autism-awareness-month/

-Autism Speaks:

• https://www.autismspeaks.org/autism-statistics-asd

-AGRE:

• https://www.autismspeaks.org/about-agre

-Simons Foundation:

• https://www.sfari.org/about/

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Date April 5th, 2022: Today Infinity Biologix (IBX) and Roylance Pharma announced the rebrand of both organisations as “Sampled”.

Sampled is a next-generation laboratory that unlocks valuable data from any biological sample. By focusing on the genetic causes of common, complex diseases, Sampled aims to discover diagnoses, treatments and, eventually, cures. Through its integrated “SMART Labs” services, the company can Store, Manage, Analyze, Research and Transport biological materials, offering partners a seamless solution for all research samples.

Robin Grimwood, Sampled Chief Executive Officer, said: “At Sampled, we play a vital role in improving human health by offering the quality, speed and scale our partners need to develop and bring products to market faster. With our proven technology and deep expertise, Sampled aims to be the SMART lab behind every new transformative health innovation.”

Since commercializing outside of Rutgers in 2020, the company has rapidly expanded its capabilities and partnerships, while launching several ground-breaking new products. In May of 2020, the company developed the first COVID-19 test utilizing saliva, for which it received FDA emergency use authorization and became the first company to offer at-home collection with this methodology. In 2021, the company acquired Roylance Pharma, a leader in biomaterial expertise, expanding its footprint with a UK hub to better service Europe.

Amit Bhalla, Sampled Chief Financial Officer, said: “In the last two years, we drove incredible growth across our core services while also demonstrating our ability to quickly scale up during the COVID-19 crisis. The rebrand to Sampled has helped us further integrate our services and laying a strong foundation to continue investing in expanding our capabilities and international presence.”

The SMART Labs approach puts partner’s samples at the center, supported by five fully-integrated categories of service: Storage, Management, Analysis, Research and Transport. Throughout the lifecycle, samples are handled with utmost integrity and trust and partners have access to a global network of experts and specialists.

Aaron Venables, Sampled Chief Commercial Officer, said: “I’m enormously proud to bring the Sampled SMART Labs proposition to our existing and new clients, offering an unparalleled level of integrated, global service in support of health innovation. As a partner that genuinely understands their challenges, we are here to do the heavy lifting so clients can do what they do best – bring their products to market, faster.”

Sampled’s deep industry expertise – the executive team alone holds 180 years of cumulative life sciences experience – has enabled the company to stay at the cutting edge of test design and innovation.

Isabella Britton, Head of People, said: “Our people set Sampled apart. We pride ourselves on a deep bench of scientists and subject matter experts who share an unparalleled dedication towards improving human health. This rebrand further focuses our work on our ultimate mission, while helping ensure we continue to develop and attract the finest talent in our industry.”

About Sampled:

Sampled is a next-generation laboratory that unlocks the valuable data in any biological sample. Through our integrated “SMART Lab” services, we can Store, Manage, Analyze, Research and Transport biological materials, offering partners a seamless solution for all research samples. Our vision is a world where we make it faster and easier for health innovators to improve human health, with a mission to be the SMART Lab behind every transformative health innovation. Sampled is headquartered in Piscataway, N.J. with labs across the US and Europe and partner labs in the Netherlands, China and Australia.

Infinity BiologiX LLC, Roylance Stability Storage Limited and Roylance Scientific Limited are doing business as Sampled.

For more information, please visit www.sampled.com 

Media Contact: Mike Thurogood Mike.Thurogood@sampled.com  

With laboratory automation becoming easier to access and more commonplace in pharmaceutical companies as well as academic groups, the need for quick and robust sample analysis has never been higher. Concurrently, as scientific fields become more and more interdisciplinary, the breadth of equipment and expertise must also increase to meet the demand. This means investigators and group leaders face difficult decisions: Should they invest in expensive equipment, that requires resources and expertise which they may not possess, or should they outsource this part of their research?

Benefits to outsourcing sample analysis

We understand that for both academic groups and growing businesses, the cost of buying NGS systems can run into millions of dollars. Worse still, the service contracts for such systems can cost anywhere from $100,000-200,000 per year. This can put smaller groups/businesses in a difficult position since a branch of their research could be underpinned by NGS studies they cannot afford for example. For this reason, more and more researchers turn to Sampled to carry out bespoke, customer-orientated analytical assays using the same instruments and systems the researchers cannot afford to purchase themselves. By working with Sampled, researchers save themselves from enormous costs and time since they can focus on the research they do best and still get the answers they seek. We work with clients to understand exactly what type of sample analysis they wish to conduct and generate customised reports that feedback the data in a manner that best suits the researcher.

However, this isn’t the only advantage to outsourcing sample analysis to Sampled. Some researchers simply lack the manpower to analyse the growing number of samples that are piling up in their labs. An example of this is how a number of groups representing the States of New Jersey and Minnesota, among others, approached Sampled during the pandemic in order to identify positive COVID biosamples through PCR and store these samples for future studies. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) awarded Sampled one of six contracts in the US to analyze COVID-positive samples by NGS to identify specific variant strains. The raw data from these studies was then uploaded to CDC’s database for further study. By outsourcing this sample analysis to Sampled the CDC saved precious time and resources in combating the virus and were able to learn about the emergence and spread of variant strains faster than if they had conducted the research internally.

A better way to validate research?

Outsourcing sample analysis also acts a third-party validation service which helps to confirm reproducibility of new methodologies or experimental results. As previously mentioned, Sampled utilizes cutting edge technologies from numerous companies including Illumina, PacBio, 10X genomics etc. This allows us to tailor-make any assays using specific pieces of equipment the researcher selects, giving them all the benefits of conducting cutting-edge research, without the overhead costs or in-house expertise.

Whether it be due to costs, lack of expertise, lack of manpower or simply to validate results acquired by another party, Sampled has the infrastructure, the equipment you desire and the customisation capability to take your research to the next level. If you wish to discuss your research needs with us, feel free to contact us here.