Before
the McCormick Genomics Center (MGC)
was established, the field of genomics research was practiced by scientists in disparate
departments in GW (including biochemistry, pharmacology, immunology, microbiology,
computer science, biology, anthropology, and engineering). The actual methods
of microarrays, gene transfer, and DNA sequencing have been far too demanding
and expensive to be efficiently practiced separately in each individual laboratory
that might need to use them. Thus, an integrated Center is of important to coordinate,
centralize, and extend the scientific genomics capabilities on campus. Such
a center can maintain more highly skilled personnel, purchase reagents in bulk,
and eliminate redundant equipment and expensive start-up costs and delays. Further,
the MGC can acquire equipment and software, which would be far too expensive
for any individual laboratory. Most importantly, the MGC can act as a catalyst
for promoting interactions between investigators with similar interests or overlapping
skills.
Until approximately the year 2000, biomedical research, and related genetic-based
fields, identified genes on an ‘as needed’ basis, whereby a disease
was loosely associated with, or “linked”, to particular parts of
a chromosome. These “linkage” studies are still an important aspect
of research because the distribution of genes and diseases, particularly in
the inheritance pattern of families, is a crucial aspect of understanding the
genetics of the disease. However, in 2000, the ‘first draft’ sequencing
of the human genome was completed by both public and private ventures. The human
genome is the complete sequence of the A, G, C, and T nucleotides that link
together to form our chromosomes, and is about 3 billion nucleotides long, broken
into 23 chromosomes, or chains. Now, those once vague chromosomal regions can
be ‘read’ for the genes which they contain, and thus, may cause
the disease. The sequencing of the entire genome of humans, and now many other
species, has ushered in a ‘genomic era’ in which diseases are studied
in a manner that is hundreds of times more precise than previously possible.
The tools of genomics are conceptually similar to a large lens, which can be
used as both a genetic microscope, and as a genetic telescope. Genomics, like
the most powerful electron microscope, can now read the individual genetic changes
that make us individuals, and give us many traits, including the susceptibility,
or resistance, to specific diseases. Conversely, genomic arrays can read the
expression of all human genes simultaneously, much like a telescope scanning
the sky, thereby able to detect patterns of genetic changes that associate with
health or disease.The sequencing of the genome was just one of several key events
that converged to make current genomic technology powerful. On a parallel course,
chemists and engineers were learning to synthesize chemicals, such as DNA, on
solid surfaces using methods derived from microchip memory fabrication. Thus,
it became possible to produce surfaces with small areas containing specific
DNA sequences which could be used to bind to the complementary sequence in a
given sample of patient DNA, and thus read it. Likewise, progressive advances
in computer processing speed and memory, made it possible to take the massive
amount of information generated and analyze it for patterns of change. The convergence
of these technologies is now termed genomics: the ability to make millions of
genetic measurements simultaneously, and then analyze them for small, but crucial
changes in specific genes.
BACKGROUND: Until approximately the year 2000, biomedical
research, and related genetic-based fields, identified genes on an ‘as
needed’ basis, whereby a disease was loosely associated with, or “linked”,
to particular parts of a chromosome. These “linkage” studies are
still an important aspect of research because the distribution of genes and
diseases, particularly in the inheritance pattern of families, is a crucial
aspect of understanding the genetics of the disease.
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Genomics: the study of genes and their functions. The sequencing of the human
genome, followed rapidly by many other species
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Genomics
is the study of genes and their functions. The sequencing of the human genome,
followed rapidly by many other species, has created an entirely new discipline
that requires expertise in biology, genetics, computer science, and biostatistics
to deal with the enormous amount of data generated by microarrays, SAGE, etc..
Recent advances in genomics are bringing about a revolution in our understanding
of the molecular mechanisms of disease, including the complex interplay of genetic
and environmental factors. Genomics is also stimulating the discovery of breakthrough
healthcare products by revealing thousands of new biological targets for the
development of drugs, and by giving scientists innovative ways to design new
drugs, vaccines and DNA diagnostics. Genomics-based therapeutics includes "traditional"
small chemical drugs, protein drugs, and potentially gene therapy. Genomics
is essentially “Genetic Anatomy” and all fields of medicine and
life sciences are being transformed by its power.
Mission:
A premier genomics research center for the study of the genomics of human disease
is established. The McCormick Genomics Center (MGC),
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A premier genomics research center for the study of the
genomics of human disease is established. The McCormick Genomics Center (MGC),
named in honor of Dr. Catharine Birch McCormick, has been coordinating and facilitating
gene-based research, education, diagnosis and therapeutic guidance. The mission
of the McCormick Genomics Center is to promote research, education, and clinical
practice in the genomics and pharmacogenomics at The George Washington University.
The faculty and the research laboratories of the Center serve as an intellectual
resource for interdisciplinary research and training in genomics. The MGC is
dedicated to state-of-the-art research and education in areas such as: cardiovascular
diseases, cancers, neuroscience, infectious diseases, metabolic diseases, pharmacogenomics,
physiogenomics, prenatal diagnosis, infertility, clinical pathology, biodefense
programs and regulatory genomics.
Faculty: The MGC includes faculty members who are actively involved in or interested
in genomics research from the Biochemistry and
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The MGC includes faculty members who are actively involved
in or interested in genomics research from the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
department, as well as other basic and clinical science departments. Physicians
from the GW MFA, nationally recognized experts in genomics from the National
Institutes of Health, collaborating institutions such as The Institute for Genomic
Research (TIGR), Children’s National Medical Center (CNMC), and Children’s
Research Institute (CRI), and experts from biomedical industries. Biochemistry
and Molecular Biology department has a number of distinguished adjunct faculty
at the NIH, including Nobel Laureate Dr. Marshall Nirenberg (discoverer of the
genetic code), and other distinguished scientists who have been assisting us
in building a premier center for genomics.
Activities:
The MGC will have three principal activities: 1) the Center operates Core research
laboratories providing service and development
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The
MGC will have three principal activities: 1) the Center operates Core research
laboratories providing service and development functions to GWU faculty. These
include the existing Microarray Core Facility involving in gene expression profiling,
and services for biostatistics, DNA sequencing, diagnostic markers of human
diseases, and gene delivery. 2) The Center coordinates educational activities
in genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and bioinformatics. 3) The Center interacts
with physicians and basic scientists to provide state-of-the-art genetic testing
for research and clinical diagnosis and prognosis purposes.
Funding:
The MGC is funded by the Catharine B. and William McCormick Trust as its initial
funding source. However, the MGC is always
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The MGC is funded by the Catharine B. and William McCormick Trust as its initial
funding source. However, the MGC is always actively seeking matching funds from
Industries, Foundations, National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Food and
Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA),
U.S. Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency (HSARPA), and other
Federal sources.