17 March 2010
University opens £1million gene screening facility
A state-of-the-art £1million facility, which will screen for fruit fly genes whose human counterparts are involved in diseases and breakthrough biological processes, is set to open at the University of Sheffield this week (Thursday 18 March 2010), making it only the second such facility in the world.
Funded by the Wellcome Trust and the University´s Department of Biomedical Sciences, the Sheffield RNAi Screening Facility (SRSF) will use RNAi interference to help understand the scientific basics required for medical breakthroughs in a range of disorders, including leukemia, cancer and neurological disorders, as well as aiding the understanding of basic biological processes.
In 2006 Professor Craig Mello and Professor Andrew Fire were awarded the Nobel Prize for the discovery of RNAi. RNA interference (RNAi) is a mechanism within living cells that can control gene activity by degrading the messages genes make (mRNAs). Small RNAi can bind to specific other RNAs and either increase or decrease their activity, for example by preventing a messenger RNA from producing a protein. RNA interference has important roles in defending cells against parasites such as viruses and transposons (sequences of DNA that can move around to different positions within the genome of a single cell) – but also in directing development and controlling cancer.
The SRSF will use state-of-the-art robotics and genome technologies in fly cells because of their smaller and less complex genome, which none-the-less still contains many equivalent, evolutionarily conserved genes involved in development and disease in humans.
Located within recently refurbished laboratories in the University´s Alfred Denny Building, the facility houses integrated liquid handling robotics, cell culture, high through-put technology and an automated microscope, all of which will be available to visiting research groups who will use the SRSF to identify genes involved in the process they are interested in. The staff at the SRSF, Dr Stephen Brown (facility manager) and Ms Amy Taylor (technician), will play a key role in facilitating this research.
The SRSF was opened as a request from the Wellcome Trust who identified a need for a UK screening facility. A group of University of Sheffield academics, led by Dr Martin Zeidler and colleagues, including Professor Liz Smythe, Professor David Strutt and Dr Alex Whitworth, secured the facility, which is strategically well situated at the University, complementing work in the Department of Biomedical Science and linking strongly to Medicine.
A symposium on Thursday 18 March 2010 which marks the opening of the SRSF, is expected to draw in over 100 attendees from all over the UK, along with a selection of international speakers and sponsorship from industry.
Dr Stephen Brown, RNAi Screening Facility Manager from the University of Sheffield, said: "The Sheffield RNAi Screening Facility will become a centre for genome-wide screens in fly cells in Europe and is only the second such facility in the world following Harvard University's in the US. Our plan is to lead the way for UK researchers and allow them to take advantage of next generation technology to gain insights into previously unknown aspects of molecular medicine."
Notes for Editors: To find out more about the Wellcome Trust, visit the link below.
For further information please contact: Shemina Davis, Media Relations Officer, on 0114 2225339 or email shemina.davis@sheffield.ac.uk
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