Advanced Technologies Core

Harvard Medical School, Boston MA

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

One of the greatest added values of the HU CFAR has been accelerated member access to new and emerging technologies. In the previous two competing submissions, these technologies have been largely provided through the Molecular Biology & Genomics Core and the Immunology Core. Services provided have focused largely on genomic and flow cytometic technologies, and have evolved over time, continuing to provide members with support that would be otherwise inaccessible to individual investigators. Based on our 2012 CFAR Strategic Review, the membership concluded that by integrating these cores and focusing on the intersection of advanced immunologic and genomic technologies and the increasing computational challenges associated with these, we could better leverage CFAR resources to serve members. These two cores were thus merged and redefined to form a single Advanced Technologies Core (ATC). The overall mission of the new Advanced Technologies Core is to provide access to advanced cytometric/genomic technologies and the computational methodologies that are an increasingly challenging barrier to individual investigators. At the current time, much of the identified need for members is in the capture of information regarding the phenotypic and functional state of individual cells, indexing these samples, and then capitalizing on this precious biomaterial to develop a comprehensive picture of the genomic landscape that exists in particular disease states. To ensure that all Harvard CFAR laboratories have access to this remarkable analytical power, this core will facilitate access to such technologies through the following aims: 1) Provide CFAR member access to state-of-the art technologies. 2) Providing user training in the above technologies, as well as computational assistance. 3) Building a virtual community using state of the art sharing and distribution tools.