The Affymetrix GeneChip Microarray Technology is a powerful tool allowing for unparalleled advances in gene discovery and molecular diagnosis. The MGC at The George Washington University Medical Center provides a centralized facility for large-scale transcript profiling using oligonucleotide microarrays (Affymetrix).
The long-term goal of the Center is to use genomic technology to understand the relationship between the expressed genotype and pathological phenotypes. The results from a microarray experiment provide “disease-related” changes in gene expression.

The Center utilizes an Affymetrix GeneChip System that includes:
• GeneChip Scanner 3000 incorporates advanced design improvements with speed, superior performance, and lower scanner-to-scanner variation to dramatically improve throughput and efficiency in our genetic analysis. This new scanner provides more accurate gridding and more consistent scanner-to-scanner biological performance, improving data integrity and data sharing between researchers.

Q-PCR The Applied Biosystems 7300 Real-Time PCR System allows advanced, multicolor real-time PCR assays.
• Four-color detection enables to perform gene expression analysis, pathogen quantitation, SNP genotyping, and plus/minus assays with internal positive controls

The KODAK Image Station 2000MM Multimodal Imaging System catches high-quality in-vitro and in-vivo molecular imaging on one system. The KODAK Image Station 2000MM Multimodal Imaging System (IS2000MM) features cooled CCD camera technology and selectable multi-wavelength illumination to deliver high signal and low background quantitative imaging for a broad range of labels and sample formats.

This enables us to
• Pursue genetic testing to diagnose disease and disease subsets to allow for tailored therapy
• Genetically predict disease susceptibility to implement effective risk reduction
• Produce small-molecule and gene therapy directed as the key genetic causes of certain diseases

• GeneChip Fluidics Station
• GeneChip Hybridization Oven
• Dell Computer Workstation utilizing MAS and GeneSpring Software
• Dell Workstation driving scanner/fluidics. Dell PowerEdge Server w/dual Xeon processors, 8 GB RAM, RAID-5, and optical Gigabit. Client to GW SuperCluster (under construction)

The Center is a full service facility that provides the following at a reasonable price:
• Assistance in experimental design
• Preparation of target samples for hybridization onto microarrays
• Fragmentation, hybridization, scanning, data analysis, and management
The potential impact of genomics on clinical research and clinical medicine is that diseases can be treated according to specific biological markers identified through microarray analysis. Ultimately, this allows for clinicians to optimize treatment for individual patients.

• Powerful, versatile software including plate set-up wizards and automated analysis tools make data processing simple and straightforward
• Single excitation, four-emission filter optics and a charge-coupled device (CCD) camera with a sophisticated multicomponenting algorithm enable highly accurate, reproducible and reliable results
• Peltier-based thermal cycling system allows to use both standard 96-well plates and 0.2mL tubes
• Gold standard TaqMan® probe-based chemistry provides sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility allowing for data comparisons across experiments and labs.
• TaqMan® Gene Expression Assays use universal cycling conditions, eliminating the need to optimize conditions individually, and enabling any combination of assays to be run together.
• Multiple pre-designed assays for each transcript using ABI’s validated bioinformatics design pipeline reduces target discovery and validation time.
The Primer Express program helps design customized primers and probes for either TaqMan or SYBR Green analysis.

Multiple Sample Formats
• In-Vivo Animals & Plants
• Organs, Tissues and Tumors
• Cell Colonies
• Gels and Blots
• Plates and Arrays

Multiple Labels/Imaging Modes
• Near-IR Fluorochromes
• Visible Fluorochromes
• Chemi & Bio-Luminescence
• Visible Stains
• Isotopes and X-Ray Detection