This proposal requests funds for the purchase of an AutoGenFlexSTAR DNA extraction instrument that will be dedicated to the molecular genetic and genetic epidemiology needs of four NIH-funded Major Users on the Bayview campus of the Johns Hopkins University. This campus contains the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center Hospital, the Hopkins Asthma and Allergy Center and Geriatrics Center, the renovated Baltimore City hospital containing 60,000 square feet of renovated research laboratories, and three buildings housing the intramural research programs of the National Institute of Aging (NIA) and National Institutes in Drug Abuse (NIDA). The Hopkins Bayview faculty account for one-third of the total research dollars awarded to the Department of Medicine (~$50M in FY 2008). Most relevant to this application, the Bayview Genetics Research Facility is located on this campus, and provides fee for service items including sample processing and storage and genotyping of DNA specimens from well-characterized patient populations. In light of the burgeoning field of molecular genetics and genetic epidemiology, there is a dire need for high-throughput, automated DNA extraction from the various biospecimens that are available for biomedical research studies, yet the only system available on this campus is outdated and inadequate to meet the growing demands. The closest facility that can accommodate DNA extraction on a large scale is 4.2 miles away at the Hopkins East Baltimore campus. Although a shuttle bus connects the two campuses, transferring samples downtown is cumbersome and impractical on a scale that is typical for population-based genetic studies, the focus of a number of investigators in this application. The instrument will be available to all users on a first-come, first- serve, fee-for-service basis, with initial prioritization for the major users in this application, for whom the immediate needs are great, and whose research focuses on the molecular genetic understanding of clinical immunology and allergic reactions, as well as vascular, pulmonary and rheumatoid diseases. Requests for DNA extraction from a minor user group that currently includes an additional nine NIH-funded investigators on the Bayview campus will be accommodated as time on the instrument allows. The combined group has critical needs for (1) high-throughput DNA extraction;and (2) extraction of DNA from diverse biospecimens, including, but not limited to, whole blood and buccal samples (i.e., saliva). The instrument will serve as a major expansion in the capacity and delivery of services in the Bayview Genetics Research Facility to meet the current and future needs of investigators at Hopkins Bayview.

S10RR027390

2010-04-22

2011-04-21