Esprit de Cores
Two IU proteomic research facilities provide scientists with precision
tools to better analyze human proteins and the roles they play.
Collaboration is the foundation for most successful ventures and
certainly it is the cornerstone of the Indiana Genomics Initiative’s
Proteomics Core facilities in Indianapolis and Bloomington.
The INGEN core facility at IUSM in Indianapolis assists scientists
by giving them access to sophisticated analytical tools and services
to help them develop research protocols.
“Now that life science research has turned its focus to
protein expression and the roles of proteins in health and disease,
researchers need access to the tools that drive these research efforts,”
notes Frank A. Witzmann, PhD, scientific advisor of the Indianapolis
Proteomics Core Facility and professor in the Departments of Biochemistry
and Molecular Biology and Cellular and Integrated Physiology.
“It’s impractical and cost prohibitive to expect every
individual to acquire the necessary instrumentation and expertise
in their labs,” Dr. Witzmann adds. “The INGEN proteomics
core helps provide these vital resources.”
The Indianapolis core’s scientific director is Mu Wang, PhD,
assistant professor and assistant scientist in the Department of
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
Proteomics is the domain of analytical chemists, and Bloomington’s
facility keeps IU on the technology’s frontlines; it is in
the business of developing advanced analytical tools. New techniques
and machinery at this core enable scientists to closely evaluate
the makeup of hundreds of cancerous liver samples, then compare
them with the same amount of healthy tissues. Small differences,
such as a single protein that appears only in the diseased tissue,
may be a clue to understanding the cancer.
Bloomington’s Proteomics Core Director Milos V. Novotny,
PhD, hopes to strengthen collaborative efforts with IUSM and maintain
expertise that many other medical schools do not have. Currently,
researchers from both cores are working together in cancer, alcohol
dependency and endocrinology.
For more information go to http://proteomics.biochemistry.iu.edu.
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