In the post human genomic era, genetic information and functional assays of gene expression have become indispensable for a significant fraction of NIH-funded research. We are requesting funds to purchase two automated capillary sequencers to improve sequencing operations provided by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's W. M. Keck Center for Comparative and Functional Genomics. New sequencers have greatly improved throughput, reliability, performance, and are operated at greatly reduced costs for labor, consumables, and maintenance. These cost savings will be reflected in lower sequencing costs for users, stretching NIH-funded lab's budgets, and producing shorter turnaround times and higher quality data. Also, as the cost of operating and maintaining aging sequencers increases, upgrading to more efficient and economical sequencers becomes essential. With the funding of several NIH-funded functional genomics projects at the UIUC, the continuous increase in sequencing services performed since the establishment of the Keck Center, and the major expansion of campus biomedical researchers with the establishment of the UIUC Post-Genomic Institute, large increases in our sequencing needs are occurring. The Keck Center's High Throughput Sequencing and Genotyping lab is part of an integrated genomics facility providing comprehensive, state-of-the-art instrumentation, consultation, and training opportunities for researchers, and occupies a unique niche not provided by large sequencing centers.
