Advanced Lab Technologies Core

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PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Advanced Lab Technologies Core (Core I) One of the greatest added values of the Harvard University (HU) CFAR has been accelerated member access to new and emerging technologies. Science is accelerated by changes in technology, and the evolution of flow cytometric, imaging and genomic techniques continues at a rapid pace. However, access to such technologies and associated computational methodologies is an ever increasing and challenging barrier to individual investigators. Acquisition and optimization of instrumentation and softwares and making them accessible remains the primary focus of the HU CFAR Advanced Lab Technologies Core (ALTC). Making these cutting- edge technologies available to HU CFAR users adds critically needed value to their studies of HIV reservoir and cure, virus-host interactions, therapeutic interventions, and vaccine development. The consolidated ALTC offers a unified pipeline of immunology services, molecular biology services, and training opportunities strategically placed to serve the greater Harvard community at the most effective fiscal value. Indeed, the ALTC serves hundreds of HU CFAR users and their global collaborators supported by more than 100 NIH- funded grants/contracts across ten different NIH Institutes and Centers. The ALTC also continues to focus on providing critical individualized technical support to Early Career Investigators (ECI), including dozens of HU CFAR Developmental and Mentoring Core awardees. At the current time, much of the identified need for members is in the capture of information regarding the phenotypic and functional state of individual cells, indexing these samples, and then capitalizing on this precious biomaterial to develop a comprehensive picture of the genomic landscape that exists in particular disease states. To ensure that all Harvard University CFAR laboratories have access to this remarkable analytical power, this core will facilitate access to such technologies through the following aims: 1) Provide HU CFAR member access to state-of-the art instrumentation and techniques. 2) Provide user training in all ALTC technologies, as well as computational assistance. 3) Build a virtual community using state of the art sharing and distribution tools.