Fordham University
Department of Computer & Information Science

Genome Tiling Arrays”
Stuart M. Brown
Director, Research Computing Resource
NYU School of Medicine

Date : Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Time : 11:30am – 12:30pm
Location: John Mulcahy Hall 112
Refreshments will follow after the talk

Abstract:
Sometimes basic research discoveries lead to the development of new technologies, but more often, new technologies lead to new research applications and discoveries. The availability of genome sequence information and the development of nano-scale DNA synthesis technologies has allowed a number of synthetic DNA fragments of defined sequence in defined locations. One of the most interesting new applications of this technology is the genome tiling array. The DNA sequence of an entire genome (such as the complete human genome) can be laid out as a set of short synthetic DNA fragments on a solid array (a DNA chip). This genome chip can then be interrogated with RNA or genomic DNA for a biological sample. This technology can be used for the discovery of new genes, to identify protein-DNA interactions, to explore alternative splicing of mRNA, and to identify changes in gene copy number (deletions and amplifications). Gene copy number changes are diagnostic for many types of cancer. Alternative or aberrant splicing is an important factor in many heritable diseases, and it may be modified by drugs.

Bio: Stuart Brown obtained his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from Cornell University, Ithaca, NY in 1992. He served as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Manitoba in Canada, and with the USDA Genetic Conservation unit in Griffin Georgia. He was appointed Assistant Professor of Cell Biology at New York University School of Medicine in 1997. He is now Associate Professor, course director for Bioinformatics, and Director of the Bioinformatics Core Facility at NYU.

Dr. Brown’s current research includes DNA and protein sequence analysis, genetic diversity in pathogens, gene expression microarrays, and databases that integrate of clinical and genomics data. He is the author of book on Bioinformatics and Medical Genomics.