RESOURCES
Computational
We use a sophisticated computational infrastructure to manage the huge amounts of data generated from microarray and proteomics experiments. Central to
our information flow is Expression Array Manager (EAM), a gene expression and proteomics database that provides our laboratory information management system (LIMS) as well as interconnectivity with commercial applications such the Resolver gene expression and Elucidator proteomics analysis systems (Rosetta Biosoftware). For microarray analysis, the first stage is image processing, which is accomplished with Agilent Feature Extractor. All data generated during feature extraction is stored in EAM, which subsequently formats the data for transfer to Resolver. Once the data is inside Resolver, researchers can build experiments, manage analysis, and export results to other packages. As an intermediary, we use Spotfire DecisionSite to manage our array data and format for further biological analysis using tools such as Ingenuity Pathway Analysis and GeneGo MetaCore.
Mass Spectrometry
The Center draws upon the resources of the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to provide cutting-edge mass spectrometry instrumentation. Major components of this facility include:
Four Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance (FTICR) mass spectrometers ranging from 7 tesla to 12 tesla
- Quadrupole time-of-flight spectrometer
- Five ThermoFinnigan LTQ mass spectrometers
- Six Finnigan LCQ and one Agilent XCT ion trap mass spectrometers
- Two ThermoFinnigan and SCIEX triple quadrupole mass spectrometers
- Thermofinnigan LTQ-Orbitrap mass spectrometer
- Two Agilent LC-ESI-TOF mass spectrometers
All of these spectrometers are on a common computer network with direct high-speed access to the EMSL data storage and archive facility, a multi-terabyte storage system that allows large numbers of data files to be archived indefinitely.
Liver Transplantation Unit
The University of Washington Medical Center is licensed as a 450-bed comprehensive care facility and is consistently ranked as one of the best hospitals in the nation. The Liver Transplantation Program was established in 1990 and is dedicated to the clinical and academic research activities pertaining to liver transplantation. A total of 10 academic faculty (6 surgeons and 4 hepatologists) provide primary leadership for the program, now one of the top programs in the nation in liver transplantation. Since 1990, a total of 1,205 liver transplants have been performed at the University of Washington Medical Center, with a total of 123 liver transplants performed during fiscal year 2005. Of these, almost 50% were performed for end-stage liver disease secondary to chronic hepatitis C. Over the past 10 years, the survival of patients transplanted for end-stage liver disease secondary to chronic hepatitis C has been virtually identical to that for patients transplanted for other conditions. Additional information about the liver transplant program can be found at Transplantation Services.