NEWS

Photo note: To download a photo of Patterson, see end of release.

NIH awards UNC $2.5 million for gene microarray services

By LESLIE H. LANG
UNC School of Medicine

CHAPEL HILL -- The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has been awarded a four-year, $2.5 million grant to provide gene microarray and related technology services to the nearly 70 campus researchers who receive funding from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, a division of the National Institutes of Health.

Gene microarrays are basically silicon chips or nylon membranes imprinted with DNA that allow researchers to study the interaction among thousands of genes at once by analyzing their expression patterns. These genes can be "switched" on or off, as determined by the kinds and amounts of messenger RNA molecules produced in a cell.

Messenger RNA molecules carry the DNA information necessary for translation into cellular proteins.

Using gene microarrays may speed the identification of genes involved in the development of various diseases by enabling scientists to examine a much larger number of genes than they can by traditional methods. The new technology also may help researchers uncover novel potential targets for therapies.

"Despite decades of research, cardiopulmonary diseases remain the most common causes of death in Western societies," said cardiologist Dr. Cam Patterson, associate professor of medicine, pharmacology, and cell and developmental biology at UNC’s School of Medicine.

"These diseases range from monogenic, or single gene, disorders such as cystic fibrosis to complex polygenic diseases such as hypertension and coronary artery disease, and important environmental and secondary genetic modifiers exist for all of them."

Patterson, director of the Carolina Cardiovascular Biology Center and principal investigator for the new grant, said a central tenet of the genomic revolution is that these genetic and environmental factors influence the patterns of messenger RNA expression. He added that the complete sequencing of the human genome and the imminent solution of the mouse genome give cardiopulmonary scientists the first chance to understand at a genome-wide level the transcriptional or gene expression changes associated with the cellular and disease-related events they study.

"At the present time, DNA microarrays and their associated technologies are the keys to creating these transcriptional portraits," he said.

Currently, UNC has at least 67 investigators funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute to study cardiopulmonary disorders. However, the rapid evolution of gene expression technologies has precluded investigators from taking advantage of these applications in ongoing funded projects.

Patterson said UNC has made a major investment in gene expression profiling, including recruitment to the medical school of key scientists, such as Drs. Charles Perou and David Threadgill, who have established track records in microarray technologies; and support for establishment of a model microarray core facility in UNC’s Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Established through the new grant, the Carolina Cardiopulmonary Gene Expression Services represents a major expansion of gene expression, microarray and bioinformatics services for National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute-funded investigators on campus.

Patterson said the Carolina Cardiopulmonary Gene Expression Services would give these investigators access to microarray services as diverse as experimental design, sample preparation and data interpretation using advanced bioinformatics approaches. It also will provide project support for ongoing investigations.

"Over the next four years, my goal for this facility is to put UNC at the forefront of microarray and gene expression analysis for diseases of the heart, lungs and blood," Patterson said.

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Photo URL: http://www.unc.edu/news/pics/faculty/patterson_cam.jpg

Note: Contact Patterson at (919) 843-9687 or cpatters@med.unc.edu
UNC School of Medicine contact: Les Lang, (919) 843-9687 or llang@med.unc.edu