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Director: Lisa White, Ph.D.
Email: lisaw@bcm.tmc.edu
Phone: 713-798-7607 |
Co-Director: James R. Lupski, M.D., Ph.D.
Email: jlupski@bcm.tmc.edu
Phone: 713-798-6530 |
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The High-throughput Genomic and RNA Analysis (HGRA) Core for the Baylor
College of Medicine (BCM) Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center (IDDRC) utilizes
the resources and knowledge base of the Microarray Core Facility (MCF) at BCM. This newly named core
represents a combination of two previously funded IDDRC cores (Core B2: Genomic Array Core and Core C4:
Expression Array Core). As a new activity, the core will also offer next generation sequencing technology
to users. The HGRA will continue to offer aCGH as a research activity for members of the BCM-IDDRC as
an adjunct to the clinical efforts.
The HGRA core combines cutting edge technologies to provide
state-of-the-art quality microarray-based and next generation sequencing-based services and analyses
for both transcriptional and genomic profiling. With the restructuring of the HGRA core, our purpose
expands to providing assistance to BCM-IDDRC researchers in utilizing microarray technology, next
generation sequencing technology, good experimental design, and data management and data analysis
resources. We will begin offering next generation sequencing technology (Illumina Genome Analyzer II)
to BCM-IDDRC members in March 2009.
Many BCM-IDDRC researchers are interested in utilizing state-of-the-art
technologies such as microarray expression profiling to attempt to dissect
the causes and effects associated with Mental Retardation (MR) and Intellectual Developmental Disorders (IDD). For
individual laboratories, the costs associated with establishing a microarray
capability is prohibitive (initial equipment purchases can cost between
$250,000 and $750,000).
Within the past decade we have witnessed significant advancements in
research that are directly associated with the output of the genome
sequencing endeavor. The results of these achievements provide hope
to investigators researching complex disease including MR. In MR, complex
barriers to the identification of cause include not only chromosomal
abnormalities (gross and submicroscopic) but alterations in one or several
genes having aberrant expression profiles or even hundreds to thousands
of genes with perturbed expression. This can result in a mishmash of
MR gene expression profiles that is difficult to sort through presenting
a challenge to researchers attempting to elucidate the cause and effect
of MR.
The genome sequencing projects, however, did not just make us realize
the challenges we face as researchers into the causes of MR. The explosion
of data produced created a strong new field, bioinformatics. With bioinformatics
we are now able to utilize in silico (computer-based) methods
to deeply mine the sequence of these genomes and produce tools that
will allow us to measure the “global” gene expression profile
associated with a particular cell type, tissue, or animal.
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