CEET Informatics Core

University Of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

CEET Informatics Core (CIC) Abstract The CIC provides the structure and service to integrate large-scale data sets that may be generated in CEET centric cores such as the Integrative Health Sciences Facility Core and the Translational Biomarker Core or from Penn service cores that generate genomics data. Quantitative disciplines such as toxicology and environmental health sciences depend heavily on informatics to integrate data sets from disparate sources so that systems biology approaches can be used to determine exposure endpoints. Demands arise at multiple points during the experimental pipeline, placing researchers at risk of bottlenecks unless informatics services are both adequately provisioned and tightly integrated with their needs. The CIC therefore provides an essential service that must grow and adapt to the changing requirements of its users. The CIC has identified the following core service goals: (i) to provide a consultancy that enables CEET researchers to design and analyze omics scale experiments; (ii) to implement a data analysis pipeline for next-generation sequencing studies, starting with the most common use cases and regularly updating as needs and methodologies evolve; (iii) to foster a systems approach to toxicology by integration of high-dimensional biological datasets; (iv) to promote transparent and efficient work practices by effectively communicating both the informatics methods that are available and the scientific results that they produce; (v) to establish robust collaborations between CEET researchers and domain experts in informatics that progress all of the above goals; and (vi) to identify and help meet informatics training needs for CEET researchers. In addition, it is vital that the CIC continues to evaluate ongoing needs and to build capacity in the ever-changing informatics landscape, while building on the achievements of the existing core. The personnel of the core have demonstrated strength in all of these key areas. The Director, Dr. Thomas Price, has more than a decade of postdoctoral experience in bioinformatics as both a methodological researcher and a core service provider. Professor John Hogenesch will act as a consultant to Core activities and has more than 20 years of experience in bioinformatics with training in toxicology.