With the recent rapid explosion in laboratory instrumentation, genetics has become a technology-driven field. High technology, however, comes with a high price tag. It can prove impossible for any but the largest, most well-funded laboratories to find the resources to move from one cutting-edge technology to the next as their research progresses. To address this problem, the University of California, Los Angeles has made a commitment to supporting and facilitating the research of all its scientists by providing a system of state-of-the-art Core facilities. These Cores are staffed and equipped to allow scientists to concentrate more time on intellectual problem solving, and less on acquiring and learning new technologies. The UCLA Sequencing and Genotyping Core Facility, with its Advisory Committee made up of some of the top geneticists in the world, and its close relationship with a very large user base in the local scientific community, is in an excellent position to identify not only the future direction of genetic research, but also the needs of local scientists. We have identified a strong need for an inexpensive method to generate large numbers of SNP genotypes, and a technology to perform gene expression experiments once the genes have been identified. The Sequencing and Genotyping Core currently offers several technologies for SNP genotyping, and also operates an ABI 7700 Taqman instrument for gene expression experiments. With Taqman technology, both SNP genotyping and gene expression are possible on a single platform. However, the instruments the Core currently maintains are inadequate in cost per reaction and in throughput to keep up with the evolving requirements of research with these two applications. The high-throughput ABI 7900HT Taqman platform would serve as a solution, employing Taqman technology to offer large-scale SNP genotyping, quantitative PCR, and gene expression capabilities all on a single, moderately priced instrument. The Sequencing and Genotyping Core already has extensive experience with this technology on the Core's current ABI 7700, along with the proven infrastructure and expertise to maintain and administer the technology, both upstream in the laboratory and downstream in the data management and analysis arenas. The ABI 7900HT could be rapidly brought on-line, and provide a valuable service to a large existing and expanding client base of NIH-funded scientists at UCLA and in the broader scientific community.
