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A Look at the Infrastructure for the Michigan Life Sciences Corridor
(Home page protein graphic courtesy of Professor James Bardwell.)By Suzanne Tainter
Established with $1 billion from the state's tobacco lawsuit settlement, the Life Sciences Corridor was created to invest in and promote life sciences research and business development. The state plans to award $50 million annually for 20 years to universities, research institutes and biotechnology companies. The initiative is administered by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.
As the Michigan Economic Development Corporation gears up for another round of Life Sciences Corridor proposal funding, here is a brief overview of the infrastructure development that began last year.
Some $66 million is being devoted over five years to develop a network of advanced technology laboratories for use by researchers from universities, private research institutions and biotechnology or pharmaceutical firms throughout Michigan. The goal of this Life Science Corridor effort is to enhance life sciences research throughout the state.
UM Vice President for Research Fawwaz T. Ulaby calls the infrastructure a catalyst for the development of life science research and associated economic development in Michigan.
Core facilities will be located at Michigan State University, the University of Michigan, the Van Andel Institute in Grand Rapids, and Wayne State University, and will be available to all Life Sciences Corridor researchers. The facilities under development are:
Michigan Center for Genomic Technologies: a centralized core and satellite facilities providing techniques for analyzing gene function across the genome. Wayne State University, with funding of $6.8 million over five years, is the site of the core laboratory to purchase, store and replicate desired DNA sequences for distribution to other sites where analyses will occur.
Michigan Proteome Consortium: state-of-the-art technology to separate and identify proteins created by cells in response to genetic instructions. Led by UM Biological Chemistry professor Philip Andrews, this $13.5 million effort will include facilities to display global protein expression patterns with subsequent identification and characterization of individual proteins by mass spectrometry.
Michigan Center for Structural Biology: sophisticated state-of-the-art machinery to examine the structure and function of proteins. Led by Michigan State University, this $30 million center will include advanced instrumentation necessary to determine protein composition and sequence, three-dimensional structure in crystals and in solution, and function. Technologies include X-ray crystallography, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and laser-based spectroscopy. Also part of this effort are facilities to produce large quantities of purified protein for analysis by these technologies. Three-dimensional structure analysis will be aided by a beamline and experimental stations at the synchrotron facility at the Argonne National Laboratory.
Michigan Animal Model Consortium: corridor-wide expansion of existing facilities for mouse modification, as well extension of this technology to rats and other species. Researchers use mice that are specially bred with altered genomes, where a particular gene is "knocked out" or a new gene has been added. These mice are used to determine the actions of particular genes, to create models for the study of human diseases, and other studies. Animal pathology, cytogenics, cryopreservation, and animal repositories are also part of this effort led by the Van Andel Research Institute with a $6.4 million budget over five years.
Michigan Center for Biological Information: advanced computing and bioinformatics resources for analyzing and interpreting massive, complex datasets generated by gene and protein studies.
Bioinformatics, as a field of study, develops ways to store and analyze the massive amount of data generated in gene and protein research. This facility will include hub and satellite computing facilities staffed by technical specialists.
Other infrastructure core facilities and individual researchers will have access to bioinformatics tools and computational resources, including genomics and proteomics databases. Staff will provide help in using the state-of-the art tools and resources. The center will provide expertise in scientific computation for the development of new tools, and enhance communication among scientists, fostering bioinformatics research and training. Interim director of the $10 million project is Brian Athey, director of the UM Visible Human Project, academic liaison for health sciences research and instructional computing, and assistant professor, Cell and Developmental Biology.
For more information on life sciences corridor projects and the next round of funding, see the website of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation at: http://medc.michigan.org/lifescience/
Printed from: http://www.techtransfer.umich.edu/news_events/news/article_21.php