Cluster focus

 

The Genomics Cluster formed the nucleus of faculty for the Genome Center of Wisconsin, and these faculty work and collaborate with others from across campus with an interest in genomics research. The field of genomics focuses on probing and understanding the collective function of all of the genes and proteins encoded in an organism’s genomic blueprint. This requires the development of new tools to explore the sequence and function of the genome, as well as new methods of analyzing the massive amounts of data that are generated in the process. Genomics has the potential to make significant impacts on human health and medicine, by promoting the rapid diagnosis of cancer, isolating the genetic basis for human diseases, identifying emerging pathogens, and promoting disease treatment and prevention. Accomplishing these goals requires the combined expertise of researchers in different disciplines. The Genome Center addresses this by bringing together researchers from diverse fields across campus, including botany, zoology, microbiology, physics, biochemistry, computer science, engineering, genetics, statistics and mathematics. The center helps to nurture genomics research on campus via its large base of affiliated faculty and by developing collaborations among different academic disciplines. The center and cluster faculty have developed critical technologies in areas such as high-density gene chips, mass spectrometry and optical mapping.

Cluster accomplishments

  • The Genomics Cluster continues to develop and teach new interdisciplinary courses. For example, one course exposed traditional genetics students to cutting-edge topics in genomics. The cluster faculty also taught several other new courses, including comparative microbial genetics, genomics and proteomics, and statistical methods for genomics.

  • For six years, the Genome Center organized an annual two-day Frontiers in Genomics Symposium, and it coordinates an ongoing Genomic Science Seminar series.

  • In July 2007, the Genome Center will get a second five-year grant in Computational Informatics in Biology and Medicine, which provides modern training for a new generation of researchers. The grant supports 36 trainers and provides funding for training 14 predoctoral, four postdoctoral and five short-term trainees.

  • The Genome Center received an NIH Institutional Genomic Sciences Training Program grant, which provides $3 million for 37 trainers representing 16 different departments. This program prepares new biologists trained in multiple disciplines to provide an integrated approach to solving complex problems in genomic research.

  • The cluster faculty have a combined annual budget of more than $6 million dollars.

  • One cluster faculty member serves as a scientific co-director of the Enteropathogen Resource Center (ERIC), a $13.6 million NIH-contracted Bioinformatics Resource Center (BRC). ERIC-BRC is one of eight national BRC’s dedicated to support the use of genome data for basic research and development of novel vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics for bacterial pathogens.

  • The Genome Center faculty have 87 patents listed at WARF and are affiliated with 37 startup companies.

  • The Genome Center also engages in outreach activities where Cluster and affiliated faculty frequently speak to general audiences about the political, medical and scientific aspects of stem-cell research.

Cluster structure

 

The cluster faculty forms the core of the Genome Center’s 34 faculty and affiliate members who represent 18 departments and six schools/colleges. Cluster faculty meet on a monthly basis to review and discuss Genome Center business. The cluster faculty also participate in the biweekly genomics seminar series, which attracts large audiences of faculty, researchers and students from across campus and has brought in many notable speakers from across the country to interact with the UW genomics community.

Cluster coordinator, faculty and lead dean

  • Cluster Coordinator

Cluster Faculty

Lead Dean

  • Molly Jahn, Dean, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences