Bioinformatics Resources Core (BiRC)

With the renewal of the Puerto Rico IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (PR-INBRE), the Bioinformatics Resources Core (BiRC) will reinforce the original goal to strengthen the biomedical research capacity in Puerto Rico by serving as a platform to offer hands-on support for conducting multidisciplinary research with bioinformatics. BiRC will directly contribute to strengthening the scientific environment by supporting competitive research projects with bioinformatics components, through technical core services, and education and training support from a multidisciplinary team of experts. Improved oversight and mentoring in the implementation of bioinformatics approaches in research projects, as well as close training and educational activities for faculty, students, and postdoctoral associates, will be a hallmark of this renewed BiRC program. A multidisciplinary team of experts will be working together to provide support to research projects in the implementation of bioinformatics approaches and data analyses, including areas of metagenomics, metatranscriptomics, mathematical modeling, research design, and power analyses, thus providing the expertise to efficiently and cost-effectively conduct next-generation research in a collaborative environment. The primary objective is to train faculty, students and postdoctoral associates who can apply bioinformatics skills in their research projects, develop new collaborative partnerships between PUI and lead investigators with BiRC researchers, and improve science education by integrating computational experiences in traditional biology courses through new Statistics, and the Research and Education (R&E) Sub-cores. We expect to sustain a vigorous biomedical training pipeline in bioinformatics that contributes to increasing bioinformatics and computational skills in the scientific workforce and at PR-INBRE network universities.