Project Summary (2009-2015)

The long term objective of the Functional Genomics and Bioinformatics Core Laboratory (FGBCL) is to provide a variety of genomics-based assays, basic proteomic measurements, and bioinformatic analyses in a cost-effective and efficient manner, therefore maximizing the availability of these important tools for all five individual UW SBRP investigators. The FGBCL furnishes microarray-based gene-centric transcript expression analysis (using Affymetrix arrays and/or NimbleGen arrays), ELISA-based measurements, quantitative gene expression evaluations, and bioinformatic analyses of data including the topGO weight method, gene set analysis, and PAINT. The FGBCL services to four investigators (Drs Furlong, Checkoway, Zhang, and Gallagher) support the specific Biomedical Research objective through "the identification and development of methods and tools to improve understanding of the relationship of exposure to hazardous substances and health". Furthermore, the FGBCL services offered to Drs Stand/Doty and Gallagher are directed toward the Remediation Research objectives "initiating research on new and innovative remediation strategies and technologies that reduce bioavailability and/or toxicity of hazardous substances" and "development of new, non-invasive methods to characterize hazardous waste sites and for the long-term assessment of the effectiveness of remedial actions", respectively. The FGBCL services also supports other goals and objectives by "encouraging the use of the technological advances, as appropriate, to support multi-project, interdisciplinary research programs". Specifically, the FGBCL offers state-of-the-art technologies including microarray-based analyses for genomic-related studies as well as bioinformatic analyses of microarray- and proteomic-derived data. The FGBCL support work contributes directly to the central theme of this program which is to "focus on a wide range of molecular biology- and proteomic-based measurements that may be predictive of: exposure to toxicants; impaired physiologic function; and/or unusual susceptibility to damage from toxic agents that occur in the environment, particularly those that are commonly present at hazardous waste sites."