Meharry Center for Genome Research (MCGR)

Meharry Medical College is committed to bridging the gaps for all populations by establishing a Meharry Center for Genome Research (MCGR). The MCGR will ensure proper healthcare utilization by realizing our vision to promote genomic research through infrastructure development and the formation of interdisciplinary, community-engaged basic, clinical, and computational science research teams. Also, the proposed MCGR will facilitate a sustainable partnership among institutions such as MMC, Fisk University, and Tennessee State University in Nashville. The establishment of MCGR will complement MMC’s ongoing genomics capacity-building initiatives. The MCGR research theme will focus on studying the genetic basis of chronic diseases that are prevalent in communities. Project 1 (Borza) will study the loss-of-function variant genome-phenome association in inflammatory diseases, such as dementia, cancer, tuberculosis, and sarcoidosis (also termed: Besnier-Boeck-Schauman) that typically present in lungs (skin or lymph nodes) as abnormal collections of inflammatory cells. Project 2 (Ivanova/Shanker) aims to correlate the genetics of inflammatory/mitochondrial responses to immunophenotypes to identify prognostic indicators of health issues. Project 3 (Singh) aims to address barriers to recruitment and build a blood repository to evaluate disease biomarkers associated with health issues. The MCGR efforts will be spearheaded by three Cores. The Administrative Core will manage the Center's administrative, fiscal, and scientific aspects, including accreditation of new graduate programs, oversight of career enhancement activities for students, trainees, and faculty, and fostering synergy with other ongoing genomic training and career development activities. The Genomic Workforce Development Core will initiate new academic activities, including new graduate programs in genomics and genetic counseling training to educate and train students and researchers in genomic sciences towards building a strong genomics research workforce. The Community Engagement Core will enhance sustainable partnerships with community-based organizations to address community concerns and promote their participation in the Center’s research activities. The Cores will finalize, implement, and oversee a management plan that stimulates, coordinates, integrates, and monitors activities and functions across all elements of the Cores, addressing: Aim 1. Transform the organizational infrastructure and processes supporting academic excellence in genome research at MMC; Aim 2. Promote scholarship within the research collaborations and mentorship networks to enrich the quality of genome research and provide a nexus for scientific community building among basic, clinical, and computational science stakeholders with academic integration; Aim 3. Maximize the effectiveness of a faculty cohort to advance genome research competencies and attainment of career milestones by fostering faculty development and making MMC a magnet that attracts other genomics scholars.