Purpose

The Vironomics core is designed to facilitate research labs at UNC by performing large-scale Real Time PCR reactions and next generation sequencing using Roche 454 GS Junior. A Tecan Freedom Evo^© is used to set up reactions in a 384-well plate, which is then directly run by the synchronised Roche Lightcycler 480 II^©. This is a fast and effective way to amplify samples with RT-PCR. Because the Freedom Evo is directly integrated with the Lightcycler, after manually adding 96-well plates containing samples or primers to the Freedom Evo, the plates can be run 24 hours/day. The GS Junior System brings the power of 454 Sequencing technology directly to research laboratory bench top. Benefit from the same proven long-read sequencing performance as the Genome Sequencer FLX System, scaled to suit the needs of individual labs. Quickly proceed from DNA to data to discovery with a simple sample preparation workflow, overnight sequencing and data processing, and a dedicated suite of data analysis software.

About Us

The Vironomics Core is led by our Principal Investigator, Dr. Dirk Dittmer, and includes a data analyst, and research associate. Our facilities are located on the 8th floor of Mary Ellen Jones Building on Manning Drive. The main research focus of our lab is understanding viral tumorigensis, especially that associated with Kaposi's Sarcoma Herpesvirus (KSHV). A more in-depth description can be found at http://www.unclineberger.org/research/profiles/name.

Publications Involving this Technology

Using this technology, we have performed research leading to the publishing of several papers in research journals. They can all be found on the website: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/pubmed.

Pre-micro RNA signatures delineate stages of endothelial cell transformation in Kaposi sarcoma. O'Hara AJ, Chugh P, Wang L, Netto EM, Luz E, Harrington WJ, Dezube BJ, Damania B, Dittmer DP. PLoS Pathog. 2009 Apr;5(4):e1000389. Epub 2009 Apr 17.