The latest paper from the UMGC Innovation Lab is published in Nucleic Acid Research. The Innovation Lab expands on their previous work showing that primer editing by proofreading polymerases can rescue the dropout of taxa in marker gene-based microbiome profiling assays. They designed a set of synthetic standards where they systematically mutated every base in the last 10 nt of a commonly used 16S primer (V4_515F), and then characterized the primer editing activity of 8 different polymerases.

In response to nationwide alerts that the invasive zebra mussel has been found in pet store moss balls, the UMGC and the MAISRC are working together to monitor Minnesota lakes by sequencing genetic markers found in the moss balls to compare with any future lake infestation.

Finding asymptomatic carriers reduces spread. An analysis published last month in JAMA Network Open estimated more than half of all COVID-19 transmission originates in people who don't know they are infected. The UMGC’s highly-automated lab is ideally suited to assist with asymptomatic assurance testing by pooling samples 5:1 to reduce the costs per test.

The Assurance Testing Alliance (ATA) connects laboratories with schools, elder care settings, employers, and other communities that need regular testing. Thus far, ATA member organizations have contracted with several laboratories to enable nationwide impact, including the Broad Institute, Guardant Health, and University of Minnesota's Genomics Center.

Spatial transcriptomics is here. Learn about this emerging, multi-disciplinary frontier combining histology with genomics to enable approaches such as the two-dimensional spatial resolution of the transcriptome. Friday, October 4th, 2019 from 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM. 1-125 Cancer & Cardiovascular Research Building (CCRB). Registration required.

With 30 years of combined extraction experience, the UMGC's four-person extraction team isolated DNA or RNA from over 45,000 samples – a record number that ranged from plant leaf tissue to human blood, and many challenging samples in between. Using the UMGC Extraction Service is an opportunity for researchers who have limited lab space or staffing resources to continue moving forward with their project.

The Innovation Lab is a research group inside the UMGC that focuses on the development of novel genomics research tools. Led by Dr. Daryl Gohl, the Innovation Lab aims to establish an externally-funded research program by obtaining independent and collaborative grants from the NIH, NSF, and other agencies. Read more about their areas of focus.