I am the Manager of the High Throughput Screening Facility (HTSF) at the NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center Fox Chase Cancer Center (FCCC). The HTSF provides screening platforms and specialized instrumentation for increased experimental throughput. In particular, the HTSF allows investigators to utilize RNAi and compound libraries, and the specialized instrumentation required for large scale screening with these resources. I have been the Manager of the HTSF since its inception, and have guided the establishment and maintenance of every aspect of the facility. I managed the acquisition of a suite of HTS equipment and libraries, established all the standard operating procedures (SOPs) and created a working pipeline from assay development to statistical hit-picking for investigators. After the establishment of the HTSF under my management, on its first review by the NCI in 2010 as a proposed facility for addition to the Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG), it was rated as ?Outstanding.? Overall, the vitality of the resource I have created for molecular screening is evidenced by forty-four publications that have utilized the HTSF between the years 2007- 2015. Within the most recent CCSG review period (2011-2014), there was a three-fold increase in the total number of publications over the first CCSG review period. During this time period, there was an average of over one thousand individual reservations for equipment use per annum. These data indicate that the resources I have established and continue to develop are robust and a pivotal scientific asset for the laboratories at FCCC. As technologies and research directions evolve, I have surveyed the faculty to identify new technology platforms for the HTSF, and I have led the preparation of two S10 shared instrumentation grants two successful S10 applications allowing the purchase of the Guava EasyCyte benchtop FACS, and a Luminex 100/200, multiplexing biomarker analyzer. The acquisition of this new technology platform will complement the resources available to screeners, but crucially allow the HTSF to serve investigators utilizing patient samples and animal models. My efforts supporting and implementing the technologies provided in the HTSF is crucial to their continued excellence and availability.
This application is for support of my research as the Manager of the High Throughput Screening Facility (HTSF) at Fox Chase Cancer Center. My efforts within the HTSF support ongoing studies to find novel therapeutics for cancer patients and advance towards a deeper understanding of the molecular and biochemical underpinnings of this deadly disease. In this way, my research efforts support the overall goal to reduce the burden of cancer.
