Molecular Center of Health and Disease

Abstract The objective of the Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Administrative Supplements for Equipment Purchases for Select NIGMS-Funded Awards (NOT-GM-24-021)] is to provide funds “intended for the purchase of needed equipment that will enhance user access to and/or the impact of the resource” for centers, resources and core

facilities. The mission of the Molecular Center of Health and Disease (MCHD)-COBRE (1P20GM144041) is to employ innovative molecular and physiological approaches to study health, onset and progression of disease, and interaction with pathogens, with the goal of understanding the breadth of information from the molecular

level to the whole organism. The MCHD provides investigators access to several cutting-edge biomedical research tools through two central research cores: Core B: Omics and Gene-Editing Core and Core C: Research Computing, Bioinformatics, and Biostatistics. The focus of these cores is to generate cutting-edge omics

datasets, along with high level molecular insight into RPL, PPL, and other investigator research projects associated with the MCHD-COBRE. The MCHD-COBRE is not currently supporting instrumentation required for physiological studies as most of our access to this type of instrumentation is provided through interactions with

other institutional supported cores and COBRE (as to not duplicate services). However, there is an immediate need to replace an instrument that will have broad usage for the MCHD and other COBRE. Specifically, our IVIS Imaging System, which was originally purchased in 2009 (only instrument at UMMC or State), has become

outdated and desperately in need of an update due to age, frequent breakdowns, and technical limitations. We request funds to purchase AmiHTX High Efficiency In Vivo Imaging System instrument to allow for higher resolution imaging, additional capabilities including x-ray imaging, enhanced wavelength detection, and data

analysis capabilities. This instrument will serve both current and future RPL and PPL, provide a vital resource to the UMMC research community that will be highly leveraged for the stated goal of the MCHD, and serve a goal of IDeA funding to build institutional infrastructure for a high impact resource.