- MOLECULAR BIOLOGY MODULE The major function of the Molecular Biology Module (MBM) is to facilitate access to state-of-the-art 'omics and bioinformatics services and to provide access to and training for small and large equipment that would be impractical for a single laboratory to acquire or maintain. The MBM maintains shared equipment, ensures fair access according to Vision Research Core priorities, and assists in the acquisition of new equipment. The MBM's equipment is housed in 639 sq. ft. of dedicated space on the 7th floor of the Brehm Tower and in an additional 300 sq. ft. of common use areas of the Brehm Tower 7th floor and the Kellogg Research Tower 2nd floor. Instrumentation includes, but is not limited to: a BD LSRII Flow Cytometer, Bio-Rad CFX384 and CFX96 Real-Time PCR Systems, an Agilent 2200 TapeStation, an Agilent 2100 Bioanalyzer, a GE Typhoon FLA 9000 Biomolecular Imager, a Molecular Devices Flexstation II Scanning Fluorometer, a UVP Biospectrum 500 HR Image Station, an Azure Biosystems c500 Image Station, an AFP Mini-Medical X-Ray Film Processor, a Molecular Devices SpectraMax 190 Microplate Reader, a Turner BioSystems Veritas Microplate Luminometer, a Beckman Avanti J-26XP Centrifuge, a Beckman Optima L-90K ultra centrifuge, a Sorvall Super T21 Centrifuge, two Savant ISS 110 Integrated Speed Vac Systems, a Perkin-Elmer Lambda Bio20 Spectrophotometer, a Thermo Scientific Nanodrop 1000 Spectrophotometer, a Shimadzu Spectrophotometer, a BioTek Epoch Plate Spectrophotometer, and a Perkin-Elmer WinSpectral 1414 Scintillation Counter. The MBM is staffed by a statistical geneticist with a background in ophthalmic genetics and bioinformatics who runs the day-to-day operations, maintains and obtains service for equipment, ensures that users are approved for proper use of equipment, provides training for equipment, maintains usage log books, and assists investigators with molecular biology techniques. The University of Michigan Medical School (UMMS) boasts outstanding Biomedical Research Core Facilities, providing state-of-the-art transcriptomic, proteomic, metabolomic, viral vector, and transgenic animal services. The MBM staff facilitates the effective utilization of these technologies with guidance in experimental design, data management, data analysis, vector design, and genotyping assay development. The MBM provides assistance with the analysis of large GWAS data sets as well as with gene probe array, proteomic, and metabolomic analyses. The MBM also provides biostatistic and bioinformatic assistance, informatics searches, gene ontology enrichment analysis and pathway identification. In the next funding period, the Module will expand its bioinformatic services to better assist in the processing and analysis of deep sequencing data sets. The MBM was utilized moderately or extensively by 11 investigators during the past 5 years and 15 investigators anticipate using the Module to a moderate or extensive degree in the next funding period.
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