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WSU Considered Model Program In Prenatal Genetic Analysis

Using hardware and software products from Applied Biosystems, Wayne State has established itself as a national expert in prenatal genetic analysis and diagnosis of a broad range of diseases.

Applied Biosystems offers its many customers a wide array of hardware and software products. With its strong expertise in genetic analysis, Wayne State University is one of only a few customers in the country using nearly every product and technology that Applied Biosystems makes. This uniquely positions WSU to be a major player in bioinformatics and biotechnology development.

The Michigan Center for Genomic Technologies uses Applied Biosystems hardware for DNA sequencing and high-throughput genetic analysis. This generates enormous amounts of data that are managed and analyzed with new informatics software specially designed to work with the company’s hardware components.

“WSU has almost everything that Applied Biosystems makes,” said David Womble, PhD, associate professor and director of bioinformatics in the Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics. “The company gives us deep discounts on their products, and we agree to give them our reviews, almost daily in fact, so they can continually design and improve new systems. We test the latest versions of their software and we help develop it to suit specific research needs.”

Each academic partnership with Applied Biosystems has a different focus. Brian Potter, informatics consulting manager from Applied Biosystems, said Wayne State University is considered a national metamodel for prenatal genetic analysis. “We have a core set of software that we are currently customizing and tailoring to meet Wayne State’s needs,” Potter said. “This is the first university we’ve worked with in the area of prenatal diagnosis. The work Dr. Mark Hughes does in prenatal genetics is incredible, and based on his needs, we are building a model program that others may want to use around the world.”

Dr. Mark Hughes, director of the Michigan Center for Genomic Technologies at WSU, uses sequencing technologies and high-throughput instrumentation to identify a broad range of genetic links to disease. He has expertise in embryo screening and has enabled many parents to conceive healthy children.

According to Dr. Womble, “There is an increasing need for sophisticated computers and machinery for sequencing, imaging and communication. Academic research is very effective at creating new knowledge, but less effective at delivering that knowledge to the community. This collaboration provides an important linkage between university laboratories, biotechnology development firms and the public.”

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