ACTIVITY #1 - PROTEOMICS DISCOVERY FACILITY

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This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Proteomics is an emerging area of research that has been applied successfully to identify cellular biomarkers of disease progression. Ciphergen's ProteinChip¿ technology is an important component of the proteomics platform for the rapid discovery of multiple biomarkers when used with HPLC, FPLC and LC/MS/MS for identification of proteins. Statistics/Bioinformatics is also necessary to complement the proteomics platform that has been established at University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus (UPR MSC) in collaboration with experts at University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC). The long term goal of this Core Facility is to enhance our institutional biomedical research capability by establishing the necessary platform and expertise in proteomics to basic and clinical projects related to biomarker discovery. The following specific aims are proposed: 1. To provide the infrastructure necessary to characterize, and isolate differentially expressed proteins in populations with health disparities. 2. To increase the capabilities of performing research projects in proteomics among faculty and graduate students at the UPR-MSC. 3.To maintain a state of the art proteomic Core laboratory available for faculty and students and provide advice, service and training of proteomics analyses using diverse approaches in accordance to each biological system. 4.To prepare the institution for protein identification and analysis by fostering collaboration of the Biostatisticians in the mainland. This research infrastructure will be used by the UPR-MSC investigators who have started using the SELDI-TOF in pilot projects that affect our population in the areas of HIV Disease, Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular diseases, Genetics and Infectious diseases. Since Protein Discovery requires sophisticated equipments, we propose to develop a Proteomics Core Facility with the minimum necessary instruments and technical expertise to provide access to investigators at UPR-MSC and increase their productivity. The relevance of this Activity is the reduction in Health Disparities by enhancing our biomedical research capability in the diseases that affect minority populations including women.