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Vironomics Core

SUBMISSION/DROP-OFF DEADLINES FOR 2025:

  • 12/01/2025: Last drop-off for the year

 

The Vironomics core is a core facility tailoring our resources to fit your individual project.

The Vironomics Core is led by our Principal Investigator, Dr. Dirk Dittmer, and includes several research staff. Our facilities are located on the 1st floor of the Lineberger Cancer Center (wing parallel with West Dr). The main research focus of the Dittmer lab is understanding viral tumorigenesis, especially that associated with Kaposi’s Sarcoma Herpesvirus (KSHV).

The Vironomics core operates all assays under good clinical laboratory practices (GCLP), which means we can generate information to support clinical trials and to support FDA approval, but cannot generate information that is reported back to the patient, or be used in treatment decisions.

 

Assays & Services

qPCR

The Vironomics Core currently provides real-time qPCR assays for viruses and miRNAs profiling such as KSHV, EBV, HSV1,, RRV, HCMV, and miRNAs. The unique automated robotics also enables them to offer custom and commercial real-time PCR assays to clients. The Vironomics Core uses several automated robotics for the large-scale real-time PCR. A Tecan Freedom Evo© is used to set up reactions in a 384-well plate, which is then run by the Roche Lightcycler 480 II©. This is a fast and effective way to amplify samples with RT-qPCR.

UNC Super Collaboration sequencing story

NGS Sequencing

The Vironomics Core facilitates research using long-read sequencing. The sequencers in the core are ideal for longer DNA fragment sequencing. This is accomplished using Ion GeneStudio S5 Prime System and companion Ion Torrent Chef. Many clients use the longer reads for large genomes, de novo sequencing, 16S sequencing, long amplicons, etc. Customization is available, or take advantage of the current expertise in whole genome sequencing (WGS), de novo assembly, STR cell line verification, targeted amplicon sequencing, plasmid verification, strand-specific RNAseq, and exome sequencing.

The Ion GeneStudio S5 is capable of up to 400bp read lengths and has a maximal output of 130 million 200 bp reads in 12 hours or 4 human exomes per day.

The Ion Genexus instrument is capable of targeted genome sequencing (any virus), microbiome, HLA, BCR, and TCR sequencing with a 24-hour turnaround time and 16 samples in parallel.

The PacBio SeqIIe instrument is capable of long, long reads up to 100,000 bp, although the average is between 5,000 to 20,000 depending in DNA quality. We offer the complete range of PacBio assays.

 

 

News

  • Runaway Kaposi Sarcoma-associated herpesvirus replication correlates with systemic IL-10 levels

    An avant-garde study of the uncommon KSHV-associated inflammatory cytokine syndrome. This paper was newly published in the Virology Journal at the beginning of this month.

  • Core sequencing QC

    Quality Control plots for sequencing runs done in house by Vironomics Core’s on the Ion Torrent S5    

  • UNC Super Collaboration

    An example of a recent custom single-cell sequencing project that we assisted with. It included a large number of UNC collaborations including: Dr. De Paris lab, UNC Flow Cytometry Core, UNC Vironomics Core, and UNC HTSF. At this year’s Research Triangle Cytometry Association Meeting in January, Department of Microbiology and Immunology’s Dr. Kristina De Paris … Read more

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    Plot of the successful sequencing runs

    From July 2015-Feb 2017, the number of successful sequencing runs we’ve done in-house, generally with 1-2 staff.  

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