We currently list 591 active users from approximately one hundred different laboratories from within NCI. Those labs include: Basic Research Lab, Cell and Cancer Biology Branch, Dermatology Branch, Experimental Immunology Branch, Experimental Transplantations and Immunology Branch, HIV and AIDS Malignancy Branch, HIV DRP Host Virus Interaction Branch, Medical Oncology Branch and Affiliates, Metabolism Branch, Pediatric Oncology Branch, Vaccine Branch, Gene Regulation and Chromosome Biology Laboratory, Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Laboratory of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Laboratory of Cell Biology, Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Laboratory of Cellular Oncology, Laboratory of Experimental Carcinogenesis, Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Laboratory of Human Carcinogenesis, Laboratory of Immune Cell Biology, Laboratory of Metabolism, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Laboratory of Pathology, Laboratory of Protein Dynamics and Signaling, and the Laboratory of Receptor Biology and Gene Expression. There have been over 2,000 different users since the core began. We have had 118 new users sign up for the service during the past twelve months. We accept DNA samples for polymerase chain reactions to be performed by the MiniCore, as well as samples where the user has done their own polymerase chain reactions. By limiting the range of services we offer, we are able to focus our operation and to optimize performance. In the past year we have processed over 90,000 samples. Users received their results within one business day more than 97% of the time when they did their own reactions and 99% of the time when the reactions were done by the Core. This year users were asked to select the area of research for each submission to the core. There were over 100 different areas selected. Some of those areas selected the most often were molecular biology, immunology, microbial genetics, basic breast cancer, cancer education, leukemia, genetics and lung cancer. Non Hodgkins Lymphoma, HTLV-1, liver cancer, HHV8, DNA repair, Papilloma virus, melanoma and drug resistance were also selected often. The other areas were very diverse from pain, aging, diabetes, kidney disease, obesity, arthritis, hematology and vaccine development- non AIDS. The DNA Sequencing MiniCore assists hundreds of different researchers in a multitude of areas of research. For the first eleven months in FY 09, the Core ran approximately 850 NanoString Digital Gene expression samples, The Core also has a program of buying Big Dye reaction mix in bulk from ABI and aliquoting it for sale to users at cost. Recently, the program was expanded to include all persons within CCR, even if they did not use the core for sequencing. Accomplishments The DNA MiniCore saved the National Cancer Institute over $120,000 from August 2009 until August 2010. This was done through a program where the core purchases Big Dye in bulk discounted quantities and then aliquots it and sells it to members of National Cancer Institute, at our cost. In fiscal year 2009, the cost for the polymerase chain reaction, clean up and electrophoresis was reduced to $7/sample. In fiscal year 2010 we will reduce the cost for just the electrophoresis to $2/sample. In 2009 we added a NanoString Digital Gene Expression Analysis instrument which we offer as a service at $22/sample for the RNA samples and $5/sample for the miRNA samples. The Core continues to offer high quality sequencing with a 24 hour turn-around time while making the newest technology available to researchers. We were part of a Site Visit in May 2009 and got a very positive report.
