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WSU Gets Early Access To Corning Technologies

Environmental toxins combined with particular genetic factors may predispose individuals to specific diseases. Wayne State has partnered with Corning to develop biosensors and investigate the relationship between gene expression and the environment.

When Corning Inc. released its CMT Yeast Gene Array in 2001, it was the first product in a brand new market line and it was the public’s first look at Corning’s Microarray Technologies. Wayne State University’s Dr. Craig Giroux, however, had already been testing the product for many months.

Dr. Giroux’s Early Access Partnership with Corning’s Microarray Technology division allows him advance previews of new products. “Currently, we are working with Corning to validate the products, to provide some practical data on its use and to develop new applications of the product in toxicogenomics, my area of expertise,” said Dr. Giroux, assistant professor in the Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics.

Dr. Giroux’s work focuses on gene-environment interactions and the genetic factors that predispose an individual to environmentally responsive disease. He is developing biosensors that will identify hazardous chemicals in the environment and predict which genes make an individual susceptible to these specific hazards. This prediction is made possible by construction of a yeast genomics model for the human cellular stress response to environmental toxicants. By studying the target pathways that confer sensitivity to chemical agents in the yeast cell model, broader conclusions may be deduced about oxidative stress and molecular damage in the tissue and organ systems of exposed individuals.

The CMT Yeast-S288c Gene Array from Corning was produced to enable accurate genome-wide expression analysis. The array is a representation of the entire S. cerevisiae genome, one of the most wellstudied model systems for genetic analysis. The new product allows researchers to study yeast gene expression under various experimental conditions.

“The great thing about this partnership is: Wayne State develops the research protocols, and Corning develops the products. We provide constant feedback to one another. It helps my research run more efficiently and it helps them produce better materials,” Dr. Giroux said.

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