MRI: Acquisition of a Genome Sequencer FLX for High Throughput Sequencing and Genotyping in Genomics Research and Student Training

该奖项由2009年《美国复苏和再投资法案》(Public Law 111-5)资助。该重大研究仪器(MRI)奖项资助从454生命科学公司和罗氏应用科学公司购买基因组测序仪FLX系统，以帮助满足德克萨斯大学阿灵顿分校和周边地区不断扩大的基因组研究人员的需求。遗传和基因组分析在现代生物学研究中发挥了核心作用，被广泛认为是21世纪科学发现的关键领域。通过战略招聘和基础设施投资，UTA在这一领域取得了重大进展。具体地说，UTA翻新了生物系10,000平方英尺的空间，以容纳基因组生物学集团(GBG)核心设施，在过去五年中雇佣了12名基因组学教员，并在主要研究设备上进行了大量投资。454测序仪现在是设施基础设施的一部分，可以在一次6-8小时的运行中产生400,000个200-400个碱基的DNA序列(相当于总序列的约1亿个碱基)，以支持UTA生物系、计算机科学与工程系和护理学院的跨学科和跨机构的合作努力。具体的研究领域包括：环境转录学、发育系统的转录图谱(例如非洲爪哇卵母细胞模型)、珊瑚生物学、昆虫学、植物逆境生理学等。研究项目的成果将通过学生和教职员工在区域和国家会议上的陈述以及通过发表同行评议的期刊文章来传播。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).This Major Research Instrumentation (MRI)award funds the acquisition of a Genome Sequencer FLX System from 454 Life Sciences and Roche Applied Science to help meet the needs of an expanding group of genomics researchers at University of Texas Arlington and the surrounding vicinity. Genetic and genome analyses have achieved a central role in modern biological research and are widely regarded as the key area for scientific discovery in the 21st century. UTA is making major advances in this field, through both strategic hires and investment in infrastructure. Specifically, UTA has renovated a 10,000+ sq.ft space in the Department of Biology to house the Genome Biology Group (GBG) Core Facility, hired 12 genomics faculty over the last five years, and considerable investment in major research equipment. The 454 sequencer, now part of the facility infrastructure, can produce 400,000 DNA sequences of 200-400 bases (equivalent to ~100 million bases of total sequence) in a single 6-8 hour run to support interdisciplinary and inter-institutional collaborative efforts spanning UTA's Department of Biology, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, and School of Nursing. Specific areas of research interest include: environmental transcriptomics, transcriptional profiling of developing systems (e.g., xenopus oocyte models), coral biology, entomology, plant stress physiology, and many others. Results from the research projects will be disseminated through student and faculty presentations at regional and national meetings, and through publication of peer-reviewed journal articles.