Ophthalmology Core Facility

Oregon Health & Science University, Portland OR

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

OVERALL CORE PROJECT SUMMARY This P30 Ophthalmology Core Facility provides ongoing support for NEI-funded Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) and Casey Eye Institute vision researchers. The four resource cores are: Bioimaging & Confocal Microscopy; Gene Expression & Manipulation; Proteomics; and Data Science & AI. These shared resources will provide equipment and the expertise of skilled personnel otherwise not available to individual researchers working in a wide range of vision-threatening diseases, including cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, uveitis, pediatric eye disease, the physiology of vision and the genetics of inherited retinal diseases. The Bioimaging & Confocal Microscopy core will support confocal microscopy studies using state-of-the-art instrumentation for identification and high-resolution localization of proteins and fluorescent in situ hybridization such as RNAscope. In addition, this core will continue to support small animal imaging through maintenance of a Spectralis OCT for in vivo imaging of rodent eyes. The Gene Expression & Manipulation core will provide instrumentation and technical support for a range of molecular methods to identify changes in levels of gene expression and proteins, and for methods by which these responses can be manipulated, such as RNAi silencing, gene overexpression, or gene editing by CRISPR/Cas9. In addition, it will continue to provide DNA isolation services from patient blood samples and tissue. The Proteomics core will provide access to advanced, high-throughput techniques for measuring changes in protein abundance and modification in diseased and non-diseased ocular tissues, determining how proteins fold and interact with one another, and how they regulate development. To reflect the ever-changing landscape of vision research, a new Data Science & AI core has been developed. This new core will retain biostatistical services for NEI-funded investigators such as analysis of complex RNA-seq datasets, large proteomics studies, optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCT angiography studies. In addition, this core will provide support for using and accessing electronic health record (EHR) data as well as the use of AI in biomedical research such as image- based disease classification, biomarker segmentation, and predictive analytics. All four cores are highly complementary and, in combination with new programs designed to encourage communication between clinicians and basic scientists, will increase discoveries with greater direct benefit to patients.