The UCSC Genome Sequencing Center is now available to accept samples from investigators at other academic institutions as well as regional biotechnology companies.
The UCSC Genome Sequencing Center features state-of-the-art equipment, including the GS FLX Titanium Series sequencing platform from 454 Life Sciences and the SOLiD sequencing platform from Applied Biosystems. The center expects to add new platforms in the near future, said director Nader Pourmand, assistant professor of biomolecular engineering at UCSC.
"It is a high-end facility, and our technical staff is trained to perform initial quality control, sample preparation, and sequencing for a variety of applications," Pourmand said.
Applications include whole-genome and targeted sequencing; resequencing; RNA sequencing; micro-RNA and small-RNA sequencing; chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) sequencing (to identify binding sites of DNA-associated proteins); and metagenomics (also called environmental genomics, involving the analysis of genetic material recovered directly from environmental samples).
Pourmand's research laboratory focuses on developing new techniques and assays for biomedical applications. His research team is available to work with individual researchers to design and develop new assays if current standard protocols will not meet their needs.
Key funding for the UCSC Genome Sequencing Center was provided by the California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3), a multidisciplinary research institute involving more than 200 scientists at UCSF, UC Berkeley, and UCSC.
For additional information, visit the Genome Sequencing Center web site or contact Nader Pourmand (pourmand@soe.ucsc.edu) or GSC coordinator Elizabeth Mitchell (emitchel@soe.ucsc.edu; 831-459-7060).
