Gene Expression: Microarray Expression
Baylor College of Medicine Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities CenterCenter URL: https://www.bcm.edu/research/centers/iddrc/
Core URL: http://mrrc.bcm.tmc.edu/cores/microarray.html
Core Personnel
Core Co-Director: Lisa White, Ph.D.
Core Keywords
Gene Expression; Microarray Expression
The objectives of the Microarray Expression Core are 1) to integrate the established Baylor Microarray Facility into the Gene Expression core to provide Baylor College of Medicine Mental Retardation Developmental Disabilities Research Center (MRDDRC) investigators access to state-of-the-art quality microarray technology and services, and 2) assist MRDDRC researchers in experimental design, data management, and data analysis.
Within the past decade we have witnessed significant advancements in research that are directly associated with the output of the genome sequencing endeavor. The results of these achievements provide hope to investigators researching complex disease including MR. In MR, complex barriers to the identification of cause include not only chromosomal abnormalities (gross and submicroscopic) but alterations in one or several genes having aberrant expression profiles or even hundreds to thousands of genes with perturbed expression. This can result in a mishmash of MR gene expression profiles that is difficult to sort through presenting a challenge to researchers attempting to elucidate the cause and effect of MR.
The genome sequencing projects, however, did not just make us realize the challenges we face as researchers into the causes of MR. The explosion of data produced created a strong new field, bioinformatics. With bioinformatics we are now able to utilize in silico (computer-based) methods to deeply mine the sequence of these genomes and produce tools that will allow us to measure the “global” gene expression profile associated with a particular cell type, tissue, or animal.
Last Edited: 02/15/06 12:00 AM by Celine Coutte
