| Lung Translational Genomics Center
The PACCM division has established the Functional Genomics Resource Center adjacent to the Dorothy P. & Richard P. Simmons Center for Interstitial Lung Disease. The Center is under the leadership of Dr. Naftali Kaminski. The mission of this Center is to facilitate the implementation of post-genomic methods for analysis in pulmonary research. This unique center aims to take advantage of the combination of clinical and scientific excellence of the PACCM Division. A well established UPMC Tissue Bank provides a wealth of clinical samples to make a significant contribution in the application of genomics methods to pulmonary disease management and diagnosis.
The science of proteomics allows the more "downstream" monitoring of the behavior of thousands of proteins resulting from gene expression.. The proteomics setup includes 2D separation equipment, a Typhoon DIGE 9400 workstation, a Decider 2D gel Analysis software, and a Z4000 image analysis system. The Center's main projects include the classification, prognosis prediction, and identification of new molecular targets for therapeutic intervention in pulmonary fibrosis, emphysema, acute lung injury, early detection of lung cancer, and basic metabolic mechanisms of sleep apnea. The next phase of the center will include the application of more sophisticated methods for looking at the role of specific cell types in diseases process (laser capture microdissection systems) and automating the proteomics effort. Currently the Center is staffed by members of Dr Kaminski's team,
as well as Dr. Prabir Ray, Dr.
Augustine Choi, Dr. Yingze Zhang,
and Dr. Kevin Gibson. PACCM
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2002 Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine |
The
completion of the Human Genome Project will transform medical research
and disease therapy. However, important steps will need to occur
before we can realize true breakthroughs in disease prevention,
diagnosis, and treatment. The Human Genome Project provides us with
sequence information only. By analogy, we now have the "table
of contents" of the genetic encyclopedia (= the human genome),
the exact "volume" (= chromosome), the precise location
of each "chapter" (=gene), and the accurate "wording"
(=sequence) of human DNA. We must still however add several additional
layers of information to each gene sequence. Lung investigators
must understand what genes are expressed in pulmonary conditions,
what is the function of that gene expression, and how does it contribute
to human disease. 
