We will renovate approximately 10,000 square feet of obsolete research space to establish a Human Genetics Institute. This space will house the multidisciplinary Organized Research Center for the Genetics of Asthma and Complex Diseases which conducts basic, clinical, and population studies to identify genetic risk factors in complex diseases. In addition, the renovated space will serve as the nucleus of the Program in Human Genetics, a clinical, research and training program exploring new approaches for diagnosis, treatment and prevention of genetic disease and developing novel diagnostic and therapeutic modalities for many disorders. Researchers who will benefit from the renovated space are bringing the advances in genetic science to clinical practice. Members of the Program and the ORC are now scattered in several buildings across campus. By consolidating key investigators and core resources in contiguous space we enhance collaboration between and within groups. The Institute will be located at the heart of the Medical Research Complex, encouraging use of shared facilities by basic science and clinical faculty throughout the school. Core facilities will include: 1) a bioinformatics and computational analysis facility, 2) a DNA sample preparation and storage facility, 3) a molecular biology facility for genotyping and mutation studies, 4) a cellular laboratory/cytokine facility, 5) a molecular laboratory for cancer studies, and 6) a shared conference room/library. The centrally-located shared laboratory facilities will fill critical needs in the research capabilities of our campus and will be made available to other researchers in the School of Medicine.
