Equipment
The CPF was developed and expanded from a base of established UPCI proteomics instrumentation and capabilities, together with relevant translational research studies utilizing these resources, including the Early Detection Research Network Biomarkers Discovery Laboratory (EDRN/BDL), the Lung Cancer SPORE, and the Director's Challenge: Toward a Molecular Classification of Cancer grants to UPCI investigators. Specific proteomics capabilities include MALDI/SELDI-TOF-MS and LC/MS/MS systems, ICAT-relative quantitation, and Cy2/Cy3/Cy5 DiGE technology for protein expression profiling and biomarker discovery, and, in collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences Genomics and UPCI Basic Proteomics and Genomics Facility, high performance/high throughput MALDI TOF-TOF, MS/MS, for peptide mapping, de novo protein sequencing and identification.
Since the comprehensive and definitive analysis of the multidimensional data generated on these proteomics platforms is computationally intensive and challenging, the Facility has partnered with several other Facilities to coordinate data analysis. Facilities that are coordinating their activities include: the new UPCI Microarray and Analysis Shared Services (MASS) facility, Cancer Informatics Services, the UPCI Biostatistics Facility which will provide analytical biostatistics support, and the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center. This partnership comprises the Genomics and Proteomics Bioinformatics Collaborative Group, which provides essential analytical support to UPCI investigators and programs.