With the sequencing of the major mammalian genomes, the frontier of biology has shifted from sequence to function and to the functional genomics and the closely related structural genomics initiatives. VCU has been invested in structural biology for twenty years, and the Massey Cancer Center has been central to VCU's efforts in structural biology. An external review of structural biology at VCU has made the recommendation that the university move to the next level of commitment to this area, a recommendation that has been embraced by the university. During the requested period of support, VCU's Massey Cancer Center will be applying the power of structural biology to all phases of its research mission. Currently, the Cancer Center has a Structural Biology Shared Resource that offers instrumentation, computer hardware and software and support personnel for the determination of molecular structures and the utilization of structural information in cancer research. The shared resource encompasses three related components: Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), X-ray Crystallography, and Molecular Modeling. These facilities are clustered in dedicated space to facilitate access and consultation with the support team. The NMR facility houses Varian Gemini 2000 300 MHz and Unity Plus 500 MHz instruments, the latter specifically equipped for macromolecular investigations. The Molecular Modeling and X-ray Crystallography facilities are colocated at a site that houses faculty with shared interests in the application of the methods of structural biology. The Molecular Modeling facility consists of 16 graphics workstations and software/data base suites which include Sybyl, Insightll/Discover, HINT, Biopolymer, Delphi, Homology, Profiles-SB, Felix and additional software and structural data bases providing a comprehensive collection of modeling/analysis software. X-ray crystallographic resources include a Rigaku Raxis-IV++ imaging plate system, MicroMax- 007 high frequency rotating anode, Blue Max-Flux Confocal optical system, x-stream cryogenic system, RAXIS-IV++ 26 stage and Windows-based CrystalClear software for data acquisition and processing. These resources are complemented by a didactic course in modeling and other training mechanisms with the goal of enhancing access to structural data and collaborations by the general Cancer Center member community. VCU has committed to enhancing the capabilities for structural research at the Cancer Center during the next period and to increasingly bringing the insight afforded by structures to cancer research at this Cancer Center. A faculty search for a Director of an Institute for Structural Biology will be accompanied by major expansion of the hardware and infrastructure for structural research with a major increase in the impact of structural information on the Programs of cancer research at the Massey Cancer Center.
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