In this current age of genome biology, the primary objective of the Genomics Core is to accelerate thestudy of HIV and opportunistic infections associated with AIDS by providing researchers with access togenomic technologies. Examining host genetics following pathogen infection can identify new targets andpathways for drug development, reveal the genetic mechanisms of disease pathogenesis, determinepredictive gene expression profiles that can guide treatment options, and identify single nucleotidepolymorphisms (SNPs) associated with disease that can be used to judge the effectiveness of differentantiviral drug therapies. To facilitate such research, the specific aims of the Genomics Core are as follows:(1) to provide researchers with a cost-effective mechanism to analyze mammalian gene expression at thewhole genome level using microarray technology, (2) to enable the more precise quantification of bothcoding and non-coding gene expression using real-time quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR), (3) to screenlarge numbers of samples for specific SNPs, and (4) to offer expertise and training in bioinformaticsapplications required to process and interpret the data generated by genomic technologies. The GenomicsCore is currently outfitted with a suite of laboratory equipment to meet these aims (2 x ABI Prism 7700Sequence Detection Systems, a Bio-Rad iCycler, an Affymetrix Fluidics Station 400 and a SunMicrosystems Sunfire 250 Enterprise server). Staff at the core are highly trained and skilled in areas ofnucleic acid isolation, purification and quantification, and primer design, gene expression assays andbioinformatic analysis. In summary, the contribution of the Genomics Core to HIV- and AIDS-relatedresearch is best reflected by the numerous projects supported by the core, among which include the firstassessment of HIV-stimulated gene expression in CD4 T cells, identification of pathways resulting in HIVinduced apoptosis, the effects of methamphetamine use on HIV encephalitis, and identification of theamino acid polymorphisms that contribute to ritonavir hypersusceptibility. This proposal will allow theGenomics Core to continue bridging the gap between HIV-related research and genomic technologies in aneconomical manner. This will allow HIV research to benefit from the very latest developments in genomebiology, which will ultimately translate into a better understanding of disease pathogenesis and theevolution of better therapies.
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