Genome Technologies Coordinating Center

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PROJECT SUMMARY The Genome Technology portfolio at NHGRI encompasses a substantial diversity of scientific approaches and objectives, from instrumentation development to high-throughput application of technologies to characterizing the genomic basis for phenotypic traits. These research efforts have produced significant insight into biology and disease, and yet there are many opportunities to accelerate innovation, development, and early dissemination of genomic technologies. The goal of the Genome Technology Coordinating Center (GTCC) is to maximize these opportunities by liaising grantees and NHGRI Program Staff, managing research funds, and developing educational resources to support and tout the excellence of the Genome Technology program. We propose the following aims to meet these goals: 1) Facilitate collaborations across the Genome Technology Program and promote standards that aid in achieving Program goals. We will host and support Annual meetings for the Genome Technology and CEGS programs. We will also develop Working Groups among grantees to promote collaboration-building and the development of metrics and standards for genomic technologies. We will use these Working Groups to identify gaps in the field that will provide the foundation for solicitation of Opportunity Funds. 2) Establish and manage an Opportunity Funds program to support initial development of promising new technologies and ideas. These Opportunity Funds will be distributed as pilot projects (early stage or proof-of- principle studies) and development projects (comparatively advanced studies with supportive preliminary data) in years 2-4. Peer review will be conducted by an External Review Panel of experts in genomic technology. 3) Implement community outreach activities to encourage awareness of Genome Technology Program successes and facilitate access by the scientific community. We will develop and manage an Education and Outreach Working Group composed of grantees and educational experts to identify and prioritize areas of development for educational materials, and host and advertise a website to distribute those materials. A targeted effort will be made to expose underrepresented and underserved populations in science to the advances and importance of the Genome Technology Program. Informational resources related to technology transfer and intellectual property will be developed for grantees. The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) is uniquely qualified to serve as the GTCC for the Genome Technology Program. The Laboratory has over ninety years of history in supporting mammalian genetics research including through the provision of widely used information resources (e.g. Mouse Genome Informatics) and educational programs including the Annual Short Course on Experimental Models of Human Cancer (29 years), and the McKusick Short Course on Human and Mammalian Genetics and Genomics (nearly 60 years). The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine was established in 2012 to apply the Lab’s expertise in genomics and technology development toward improvements in genome-based medicine.