The mission of the Center for Gastrointestinal Biology and Disease is to promote and enhance multidisciplinary digestive disease research. In order to help achieve this mission the CGIBD is proposing a modification of an existing Core to meet the needs of our members. The Advanced Analytics (AA) Core will continue to provide Center members with state-of-the-art immunotechnology services, but expand the services to include high-throughput gene expression analysis and SNP-genotyping from small patient biopsies and cultured enteroids/colonoids all the way down to single cells using newly purchased state-of-the-art equipment.
The Aim of the AA Core is: i) To develop new assays to identify heterogeneity in cell populations and interrogate gene expression in single cells to better understand disease processes and regeneration at the cellular level. We will use these assays to: a) Identify important genetic and phenotypic differences in cells within a population. b) Isolate very rare circulating cells and study their transcriptome at the single cell level. c) Understand dynamics of individual stem/progenitor or differentiated cells during health and diseases of the GI tract. d) Develop SNP-genotyping assays that can be used for basic science or diagnostic applications on large numbers of patient samples. e) Develop novel enteroid and colonoid-based high-throughput assays to interrogate gene expression changes caused by genetic, pharmacologic or microbial challenges 2) To use advanced immunotechnologies to help CGIBD members measure key molecules in GI tissue extracts and culture supernatants a) Make a wide variety of immunoassays, primarily enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) available to Center investigators on an ongoing, quality controlled, cost-effective basis b) Develop and troubleshoot new immunoassay procedures, as needed c) Provide a fully-equipped, centralized facility where uniform quality control can be systematically applied to immunoassay procedures d) Provide multiplex cytokine assays as an economical alternative to single assay ELISAs. e) Expand the mechanistic capabilities of CGIBD members through multiplex phosphoprotein assays. f) Facilitate translational research and biomarker development through multiplex human assays and other technologies for biomarker identification and validation. g) Advise clients, through formal consultation, on principles, methods, analysis, and experimental design of studies involving immunoassays
In the past, studies of genetic, transcriptomic or proteomic changes have focused on isolated tissues or specific cell populations. It is increasingly appreciated, particularly in the fields of stem cells, tumor initiating cells and immune cells, that there are diverse and complex dynamics within cell populations that have been under-appreciated. The Advanced Analytics Core provides members with access to instrumentation to provide single cell analysis, high throughout quantitative analyses in very small amounts of RNA or DNA isolated from biopsies or enteroids/colonoids derived from stem cell biopsy or crypt cultures, and immunotechnology services.
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