Creation of a Proteomics and Informatics Collaborative Group to Enhance Biomedical Research at Ethnically Diverse Institutions

• Published in: Journal of biomolecular techniques 2012-01, Vol.23 (Suppl), p.S51-S52
• Main Authors: Boukli, Nawal, Almeida, Igor, Perry, Theresa, Dye, Tim, Pratap, Siddharth, Powell, Michael
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Scientific Poster Abstracts
• ISSN: 1524-0215; 1943-4731

Having access to current “Omics” level technology and services such as Bioinformatics, Genomics and Proteomics is critical for a program to function in a translational research setting. The Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) program of the NIH enhances the research capacity and infrastructure at colleges and universities which serve underrepresented populations. RCMI institutions have made significant inroads to addressing and advancing biomedical research in underserved populations, yet, challenges such as limited resources, multiple data systems, and access to “Omics” services need to be addressed. Within this framework, the RCMI Infrastructure for Clinical and Translational Research (RCTR) and the RCMI Translational Research Network (RTRN) have established a Proteomics & Informatics Collaborative Group whose function is to connect “Omics” Service Cores across the RCMI. Initial steps in this effort revolved on establishing an inventory of Proteomics equipment, services offered and informatics flows. The overriding goal is to virtualize Proteomics and Informatics knowledge and services across multiple, geographically distinct RCMI centers, in order to maximize efficiency. Focused of creating a data center as the first step, the Data Technology Coordinating Center (DTCC) at Jackson State University functions as the data hub of the Collaborative, while the Proteomics Core directors are the architects and project managers. Given differing levels of experience and scale at various institutions, this Collaborative serves as a valuable tool for information sharing, lessons learned, and most importantly a combined focus in order to pool strengths at RCMI institutes. Next steps will focus on a shared Proteomics data repository and establishment of best practice standard operating procedures in order to set the stage for sample sharing and group informatics analysis.