VCU Genomics Core
The VCU Genomics Core provides state-of-the-art lab-technical genomic services and analysis support to advance genomic research at VCU and beyond.
About
The VCU Genomics Core, directed by Karolina Aberg, Ph.D., and Gregory Buck, Ph.D., delivers comprehensive instrumentation and technical support for all aspects of genomic analysis to the research community.
Staffed by Ph.D. and M.S. trained sequencing engineers, laboratory specialists and bioinformaticians, the core offers a wide variety of services via a traditional fee-for-service model and novel collaborative solutions that involve do-it-yourself (DIY) genomics and lab-expertise for hire. These service models give investigators opportunity for training and hands-on time on selected instrumentation and permit investigators to purchase tech-time from experienced staff to contribute to protocol development and optimization of new approaches. The Genomics Core can assist in experimental planning and project design.
Initiate a project
To initiate a service request or schedule a discussion about an ongoing or upcoming project, please click the button below to book a time or email us.
Acknowledge the VCU Genomics Core
Published work using data generated by the Genomics Core should include the following in the acknowledgment:
The data included in this study was generated at the Genomics Core facility at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Suggested grant language
Include the following text in the Facilities and Resources section of grant applications when proposing to conduct work that utilizes the Genomics Core:
The VCU Genomics Core, directed by Drs. Karolina Aberg and Gregory Buck, provides comprehensive instrumentation and technical support for all aspects of genomics analysis. Staffed by Ph.D. and M.S. trained sequencing engineers, laboratory specialists and bioinformaticians, the Core provides a variety of services via a traditional fee-for-service model and novel collaborative solutions that involve do-it-yourself (DIY) genomics, where investigators gain opportunities for hands-on time on selected instrumentation, and lab-expertise for hire where core staff assists with protocol development and optimization of new approaches. The Core can also assist in experimental planning and project design.
The facility, located in two sites: in Sanger Hall and in the VCU Health Science Research building on the MCV campus, maintains a significant portfolio of instrumentation in support of next-generation sequencing (NGS). In addition to a broad range of instruments for sample/library preparation and quality control, the Core also hosts Illumina platforms including NextSeq2000 and MiSeq instruments, for which the sequencing configuration range from 1 x 50 bp single end (SE) to 2 x 300 bp paired end (PE) or 1 x 600 bp single end (SE) sequencing, generating up to 1.2 billion read pairs per sequencing run.
Commonly provided services include de novo sequencing, amplicon sequencing, whole genome sequencing (WGS), whole exome sequencing (WES), whole genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS), methyl-binding domain sequencing (MBD-seq), transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq), small RNA-seq (microRNA, non-coding RNAs), chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq), targeted genome sequencing, and mitochondrial sequencing. The Core also provides comprehensive microbiome analyses, including but not limited to 16 S rRNA taxonomic profiling, and metagenomic and metatranscriptomic sequencing. In addition, the facility hosts a Chromium X system from 10x Genomics, which allows us to offer a wide spectrum of state-of-the-art single-cell and single-nuclei analyses. The Chromium X system is also available for DIY genomics.
Storage for genomic data with access to dedicated server clusters for high performance computational analyses is provided in collaboration with the VCU High Performance Research Computing facility, and bioinformatic analyses are coordinated with the Bioinformatics Core.