The Washington area scientific environment is one of the most exciting in the world.  The proximity of the National Institutes of Health and the National Library of Medicine are obvious assets for the trainees at Georgetown.

• The Georgetown Institute for Cognitive and Computational Sciences (GICCS) makes significant human and physical resources available to graduate biomedical training programs through investments in areas relating to computational neuroscience, learning and memory, and novel brain imaging; a 7.0 Tesla Magnet and an Irradiator are currently available for neuroscience research.  The Center for Molecular and Human Genetics is another richly endowed program that significantly enhances our physical resource infrastructure.  The recently established Clinical Research Center, a multi-bed, inpatient facility for clinical trials, is undergoing expansion.

• The Biostatistics Shared Resource provides Lombardi Cancer Center investigators with expertise in the biostatistical aspects of clinical, basic, and population science research. Statistical issues are considered at all levels of investigation from the design to the conduct of experiments, maintenance of data quality, and the analysis and interpretation of results. The Medical Center offers a Biostatistics Consulting Service for all faculty and graduate students for assistance in study design and evaluation.

• The Cancer Biomarker Resource is responsible for maintaining and expanding a collection of sequential serum, plasma, Lymphocyte and some urine samples linked to a computer database with associated clinical and follow-up data. Samples are derived from patients with breast, prostate, and colon cancers, and healthy female and male controls. An extensive computer database provides detailed clinical and treatment history on all patients with examples in the CBR.

• The Clinical Economics OUtcomes Shared Resource is a multi-disciplinary team with broad methodologic expertise. Their goal is to conduct patient-centered evaluation in patients at risk for or with cancer. These evaluations are applicable for established clinical care as well as for new translational technologies for the prevention, early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer. The shared resource is available for consultative or collaborative work in the areas of cost- and cost-effectiveness analyses; evaluation of quality of life, functional status, psychosocial outcomes, and patient satisfaction; survey design and research; decision analyses and simulation modeling.

• The Clinical Research Management Office is the administrative shared resource for the management and support of clinical research at Lombardi Cancer Center. The functions of the CRMO are to: process and maintain records on all LCC protocols, negotiate clinical trials' budgets, and support, administer regulatory activities, provide research nursing, support data management, and maintain a clinical trials' database for the Cancer Center.

• The Cytogenics Shared Resource performs both classical and molecular cytogenetic studies on research specimens including cell lines and archival specimens in both human and mouse systems.  Classical cytogenetic studies consisting of G-band karyotype preparations on metaphase cells are performed in the facility.  Molecular cytogenetic studies for detection of gene amplifications and deletions, or for the identification of chromosomal structural rearrangements is accomplished with fluorescence in situ hydridization (FISH).  Combinatorial labeling FISH or Spectral Karyotyping is also performed on both mouse and human specimens.

• The Familial Cancer Registry (FCR) identifies and tracks high-risk cancer families, and maintains a repository of DNA samples, tissue samples (tumor and non-tumor), medical records, family history information, epidemiological data, and, in high-risk breast cancer families, BRCAI/2 test results. The main focus of the FCR is high-risk breast and ovarian cancer families, but a small number of prostate and colon cancer families are also in the registry, and efforts to recruit more of these families are underway. 

• The Flow Cytometry/Cell Sorting Shared Resource provides flow cytometry and fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) in a variety of research applications. A Becton Dickinson FACStar Plus dual laser system and a FACSort system are available; both instruments are interfaced to the LCC computer network enabling investigators convenient access to their data for analysis and publication quality hardcopy.

• The Histopathology & Tissue Shared Resource is an IRB approved facility. The primary objectives are threefold: 1) To provide comprehensive tissue procurement, histologic, and tissue processing services. 2) To make available pertinent frozen and fixed tumor and normal tissues from patients with follow-up information for use by investigators and 3) To provide expert assistance in conducting experiments using specimens from human and animal subjects. including assistance in interpreting immunohistochemical and in-situ hybridization studies.

• The Macromolecular Analysis Shared Resrouce utilizes DNA Sequencing, phosphorimaging, densitometry, luminescence, molecular modeling, and spectrophotometry to support researchers. 

• The Microscopy and Imaging Shared Resource provides instrumentation and expertise for light and electron microscopy. Users incorporate a variety of cell biological techniques into their studies, including laser scanning confocal microscopy, videomicroscopy, microinjection, immuno-light and -electron microscopy, and image analysis to study tumor cell biology.

• The Tissue Culture Shared Resource provides support in all aspects of tissue culture techniques. It: 1) manages the LCC Cell Line Repository, 2) Equips and maintains shared tissue culture rooms, 3) provides mycoplasma testing, 4) tests cells transduced with retroviruses for the presence of helper virus, 5) offers an EBV immortalization service, 6) tests and provides common tissue culture reagents such as fetal calf serum.

• The Transgenic Resource assists investigators in the use of transgenic technology in their research. Services offered include: the production of transgenic animals by pro-nuclear injection, morula fusion or blastocyst injection, the production of pseudopregnant and superovulated animals for investigators wishing to conduct morula fusions themselves, genotyping of transgenic animals, re-derivation of transgenic strains by virus-free embryo transfer, and cryopreservation of transgenic strains.

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MAJOR EQUIPMENT

The following resources or major equipment items are currently available for the faculty and students: