Genomics, Bioinformatics & Biostatistics, and Microphysiological Systems Core

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GENOMICS, BIOINFORMATICS & BIOSTATISTICS, AND MICROPHYSIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS FACILITY CORE (GBBM-FC) ABSTRACT It is well established that chemical exposures to biological systems result in expression changes of numerous RNA and protein molecules and these changes are correlated with, and can be indicative of toxicity. In addition, many molecular epidemiologic studies have identified correlations between genetic polymorphisms and the incidence of environmentally-related diseases. Toxicological monitoring increasingly involves the assessment of genetic and other molecular measurements derived from human individuals and animal models, to detect markers of disease susceptibility and to identify early indicators of chemical effect. Various targeted molecular methods as well as genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics approaches have been developed in recent years and continue to develop rapidly. These methods complement each other and allow for mechanistic investigations of entire biological pathways and networks, as well as their individual components. The optimal application of these state-of-the-art methodologies requires considerable expertise in a) sample preparation and processing, b) generation and quality assessment of the data, c) rigorous statistical and bioinformatics analysis, d) as well as interpretation of the complex data. Most investigators do not possess the financial resources or specialized expertise to keep up with the rapid technological advancements in these areas. However, it is critical for investigators to have access to the latest technologies in order to be competitive and to perform cutting-edge research. The Core addresses these challenges by providing access to the necessary expertise in OMICs-based methods that support environmental health sciences research. The Core also provides access to sophisticated in vitro systems that mimic complex tissue architecture and provide platforms to investigate organ-like physiology in the context of toxicological perturbations. The primary goal of the Core is to empower Center affiliates to integrate state-of-the-art genomics, transcriptomics, epigenomics, proteomics, and metabolomics technologies, as well as microphysiological in vitro systems into their Environmental Health Sciences research in a cost-effective manner.