Core B

ABSTRACT The Human Biological Sampling and Immunocytometry core will provide essential clinical and immunological support for both projects in this proposal. The core encompasses personnel with appropriate technical expertise to accomplish the proposed studies, and the resources/facilities with which to do so. Vital to the entire program project is obtaining human samples for experimentation, which is the first of three functions of the core. This is particularly critical with regard to subjects who fit the criteria for severe asthma since these individuals account for only 5-10% of all asthmatic subjects while exhibiting the most debilitating forms of the condition. The Cellular Processing component is aimed at all of the procedures related to initial processing, proper storage, and efficient, timely delivery of materials to appropriate laboratories for further experimentation. The core is designed with careful integration of the aims for Projects 1 (A. Ray) and 2 (S. Wenzel) and Core C (W. Chen) in order to ensure that proposed critical studies efficiently utilize available biological material. Finally, the third aspect of the core, the Immunocytometry component consolidates into one unit all of the conventional flow cytometry techniques (high dimensional fluorescence flow cytometry and cell sorting) and analytical tools required for the performance of the proposed projects. Specialized professionals are included to carry out all of the diverse yet interrelated functions of the core.