PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT ? Genomics and Molecular Resources Core The overall goal of our Center is to advance precision medicine in the rheumatic diseases. The Genomics and Molecular Resources (GMR) Core will play a critical role in our Center by facilitating access to biospecimens from well-characterized rheumatic disease patients, and providing consultative and coordination services to ensure appropriate use of genomics, proteomics, and other molecular technologies that have the potential to advance precision medicine in rheumatology. The GMR Core will streamline laboratory research infrastructure, including acquisition, processing, storage and management of biospecimens by consolidating existing rheumatology biospecimens at UCSF and establishing a state-of-the-art Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) that will enable us to expand sample collection and create an accessible biorepository. These activities will occur within the laboratory of Dr. Pui-Yan Kwok, Co-Director of the GMR Core, whose experience as Faculty Director of the UCSF Genomics Core over the past decade makes him highly qualified to direct these activities. Core leadership will also provide consultation related to the appropriate application of genomics and molecular assays (including proteomic and immunologic phenotyping) and will serve as a liaison between investigators and laboratory personnel to ensure that consistently high quality genomic and molecular phenotyping data are obtained. A panel of genomics and molecular phenotyping experts will serve as consultants for P30 investigators and projects, covering a wide range of expertise including genomics, epigenetics, proteomics, immune phenotyping, lymphocyte signaling, microbiome analysis, and production of pluripotent stem cells. The GMR Core will work closely with the Human Subjects and Clinical Phenotyping (HSCP) Core to coordinate selection of the appropriate rheumatic disease patients and clinical data for Center studies, and with the Integrative Bioinformatics (IB) Core to integrate genomic and molecular data with clinical data for statistical analysis. Key strengths of the GMR Core include the substantial existing rheumatic disease biospecimens that will be consolidated and centrally managed using a state-of-the-art LIMS; internationally renowned experts in genomics and molecular phenotyping for rheumatic, autoimmune and other disorders; facilities for generating state-of-the-art genomics and other molecular phenotyping data from human biospecimens; and visibility locally, nationally, and internationally to facilitate outreach activities of the Center to advance precision medicine in rheumatic disease research.
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