MOLECULAR BIOLOGY CORE

RICHARD NOEL, PH.D.
CORE P1
 

 

The Molecular Biology Core Laboratory was established in 1995 at the Ponce School of Medicine (PSM). With the continuous support of NCRR-RCMI, this Core activity has had a tangible impact upon the productivity of the research faculty in human health and health disparities at PSM. Since its inception, the MBCL has experienced tremendous growth in capacity and number of users, so much so that there has been a 500% increase in the number of publications and presentations citing our service.

This most recent cycle (2009-2014) sees the MBCL entering a new phase. The Core will continue to place major emphasis on our fundamental mission to provide Access, Training, and Project Development assistance by promoting the implementation of molecular biology research in the work of both our current faculty and future recruits. Additionally, our mission will expand to include a greater emphasis on Service and will add new, cutting-edge technologies. The most recent addition to the Core is our ability to modulate gene expression (both in vitro and in vivo), which will complement our existing capacity to perform gene expression analyses and genetics studies. We will pursue these goals via the four aims that follow.
 

Aim 1: Expand access to equipment and facilities.
Aim 2: Provide technical/scientific support.
Aim 3: Provide training for faculty and staff.
Aim 4: Actively promote the development of new projects and the use of new technologies.
All activities of the MBCL will be evaluated using methods to assess the suitability of and the success in addressing the goals of this Core.
Public Statement

Molecular biology is a field with a tremendous capacity for advancing our scientific understanding of disease and human health. Our Core facility provides its users with a centralized source of expertise as well as access to sophisticated instrumentation. This strong combination of knowledge and equipment helps to increase the productivity of the scientists at PSM so that they may more quickly make discoveries that can be translated to the clinical level and thus have a measureable impact on improving health in the US and worldwide.