November 2008 2 Church Street South, Suite 114 | New Haven, Connecticut 06519 | p 203.785.3482 | f 203.737.2480
Core Research Facilities Offer Investigators High-Tech Equipment and Expertise Inside This Issue 2 Events Calendar 2 Genomics & Proteomics 4 Imaging Technology 6 Resource Scheduler 7 Cores Contact Information 8 Clinical Research Compliance
Some of the most valuable tools at the disposal of ysm investigators in clinical and translational research can be found within the core research facilities, a wide-ranging array of cutting-edge instrumentation and technologies not often found at academic institutions. The services and resources offered by the cores provide investigators with opportunities to utilize sophisticated equipment and expertise in such areas as: • Biostatistics and bioinformatics • Human specimen analysis • Drug discovery and development • Imaging • Genomics and proteomics • Animal resources The core research facilities reflect the medical school’s investment in and commitment to providing researchers with the advanced technology necessary to carry out today’s high-tech research. The strategic planning initiative that led to the formation of ycci, however, also revealed the need for a central mechanism for organizing and coordinating the research cores. The Clinical and Translational Science Award (ctsa) granted to ysm in 2006, combined with strategic partnerships with the School of Medicine, the Yale Child Study Center and the Yale Cancer Center, has allowed ycci to leverage this investment to expand and integrate the core resources to stimulate the growth of clinical and translational research. ycci supports the cores through strategic investment in equipment, equipment upgrades, pilot funding, and staff and leadership support.
Photo by Robert A. Lisak
Under the co-direction of Carolyn Slayman, ph.d., Sterling Professor of Genetics and Deputy Dean for Academic and Scientific Affairs, and Kevan Herold, m.d., professor of immunobiology and a member of the Human Translational Immunology program, the core resources have been organized into clusters that enable investigators to easily locate the technologies and services applicable to their projects. A new website was recently launched (http://medicine.yale.edu/cores/) that includes descriptions of core services, contact information, and directions for using the core facilities, including a link to the Yale Resource Scheduler (http://scheduler.yale.edu/). This feature allows researchers to schedule core facilities online (see article on page 6).
ycci funded the purchase of the Waters nanoacquity uplc® System, which provides high resolution chromatography for protein identification and characterization.
Written by Jill Max
Because the research cores encompass a wide range of facilities, their structure and organization are still a work in progress. For example, Drug Development, Cognition & Behavior, and Physiology & Metabolism are under development and will be added in the coming months. Meanwhile, new technologies have been acquired for existing core facilities, continued on page 6
Featured Events: Bioinformatics Workshops
Pathway Analysis Programs Automatic Protein Docking November 17, 3:00 p.m. December 10, 3:00 p.m. see top of Events Calendar on page 2 for details
Photo credit: Terry Dagradi
Director’s Corner
When ycci was established, it was with the idea of bringing together all the tools necessary to smooth the way for investigators to carry out clinical and translational research. We were very fortunate in that many of the resources necessary to make that happen already existed on campus—the challenge has been to organize and integrate them so that they are easily accessible to those interested in conducting research, regardless of their level of experience or expertise.
I think the Core Research Facilities are an excellent example of this principle in action. Many of them are well-established facilities that have been offering investigators an incredible choice of state-of-the-art technology for years. What we’ve tried to do is take that choice to the next level by funding upgrades, recruiting experts and developing services that will make it easy for investigators to find and utilize the variety of technology and skills available at ysm. The Cores’ resources represent an opportunity for us not only to expand clinical research but also to integrate our strengths in basic science with translational research. We would like to bring investigators together in ways they haven’t utilized before, and we think the cores are an ideal way to accomplish that. We’re especially excited that the West Campus will enable us to expand our resources to develop new technologies and will create opportunities to drive the connections between basic and clinical science. We believe that our long-term success depends on this collaboration and we look forward to working with investigators to make sure it happens.
Robert Sherwin, m.d. ycci Director
Core Resources Issue November 2008 | Volume 1 | Issue 4 | 1