Systems Bioinformatics Core

Systems Bioinformatics Core (Core B) SUMMARY H-CARR is designed to interrogate the genomic, transcriptomic and metabolomic drivers of acquired cisplatin resistance in HNSCC. Projects 1, 2 and 3 are designed to synergize with the ultimate dual objective of: 1) identifying reliable biomarkers of cisplatin resistance and 2) developing strategies for preventing its development or acquisition. Project 1 will generate steady state and flux metabolomic data which will be integrated with the genomic and transcriptomic data generated in Project 2. Together, the datasets will then be validated against human data acquired using non-invasive metabolic imaging and genomic and transcriptomic analysis of human HNSCC circulating tumor cells (CTCs). Core B is envisioned as a Systems Bioinformatics Core which will coalesce the datastreams from all 3 Projects into one coherent multi ‘omics understanding of cisplatin response and development of resistance. Core B, led by Dr. Coarfa is tasked with performing the complex data analysis proposed in each individual Project and developing pipelines for data acquisition, analysis and interpretation which can be rapidly deployed within H- CARR and the broader ARTNet scientific community. Core B, in collaboration with Core A (Administrative) will develop a near real time reporting system for both model (PDX, cell line) generation, analytical pipelines and raw and processed data sharing with other investigators. The Core will leverage existing institutional expertise with big data analysis, along with Dr. Coarfa’s established scientific relationships with the other investigators, to develop a state of the art analytical platform that can be deployed to characterize and understanding acquired resistance across multiple solid tumors and systemic agents.