Scientific environment

Workforce Development Activities/Resources
Program	Target Group(s)				Description
	Pre-doc	Post-doc, Junior Faculty	Mid / Late-Career	Staff
CTRC Curriculum Committee	X	X	X	X	Our courses & degree programs use competencies, have mapped competencies into courses, & use Comprehensive Competency Review to assess competencies
Good Clinical Practice (GCP) On-line Training Program	X	X	X	X	An online program based on the Assoc. of Clinical Research Professionals GCP training modules. The WU Learning Management System houses the modules & tracks completion
Research Career Development Program				X	Monthly sessions which provide a forum to share best practices related to conducting research & networking opportunities for research staff.
Evidence-Based Entrepreneurship Workshop	X	X	X	X	Workshop series that covers information on how to identify viable new venture concepts, build plans for a sustainable & scalable enterprise, & get ventures off the ground
Genomics in Medicine	X	X			Seminar series that introduces the principles of genomics in medicine as they apply to clinical research & provides a practical background in molecular biology & genetics
Professionalism & Integrity in Research (PI) Program		X	X		Program that uses a career-coaching model, offers personalized assessments, group workshops & post-workshop coaching calls to help researchers operate professionally
Team Science	X	X	X		Develop an 8-course certificate program in Team Science & Collaboration (see section C6b).
Mentor Training		X	X		Training series for mentors and scholars transitioning to a mentor role provided through in-person and on-line through didactic lectures and small group discussions.
indicates a New or Enhanced Program (see text)

The CORTEX Innovation District is a vibrant 200-acre innovation hub and technology district integrated into St. Louis’ historic Central West End and Forest Park Southeast residential neighborhoods, and adjacent to the Medical Center campus. CORTEX is a tax exempt 501(c)3 formed in 2002 by WU, BJC, University of Missouri – St. Louis (UMSL), SLU, and the Missouri Botanical Garden to capture the commercial benefits of university and regional corporate research for St. Louis, and is home to the CRIB, as well as ICTS cores such as CBMI and GTAC. The mile-wide square district, comprised of dilapidated and deserted factory buildings was transformed through this partnership into the fastest growing technology hub in the world. The 1,200% growth rate of the St. Louis technology hub is almost double that of its closest follower (Munich, Germany). St. Louis is host to more than 100 different pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, many of which (approximately 80%) were founded by WU faculty, staff and alumni. The impressive growth of St. Louis technology has been facilitated by the Skandalaris Center for Interdisciplinary Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SCIIE) (described separately in Resources) and by the creation of novel entities such as the WU-supported non-profit, BioGenerator, which provides laboratory space, expertise from current and former entrepreneurs and biopharmaceutical executives as well as novel sources of investment funding. In addition, WU, aided by the ICTS, was instrumental in recruiting the Cambridge Innovation Center, the entrepreneurial hub that gave rise to Kendall Square in Boston, to conduct its first expansion outside the Boston metropolitan region. Most recently, the CORTEX Innovation District witnessed the expansion of Tech Shop, a creative community that provides access to 3D printing and design to support the creation of novel medical devices and other state-of-the-art technologies. 

The Diabetic Cardiovascular Disease Center (DCDC) is dedicated to finding better methods for diagnosing, treating and preventing cardiovascular disease in people with diabetes. Because roughly two-thirds of the 25 million Americans who have diabetes will die of heart or vascular disease, the DCDC's work holds tremendous implications for improving human health. The DCDC brings together physicians and scientists from cardiology, endocrinology, nutrition, molecular biology, chemistry, radiology, physics and other areas of biomedicine. They focus on studying the roots of the diabetes, particularly understanding why cardiovascular disease is more prevalent and more aggressive in people with diabetes compared with non-diabetics. DCDC's major goal is to find ways to identify heart and vascular disease in diabetes very early, when it is still most treatable, devise better treatments, and ultimately, develop effective methods to prevent disease altogether.

The Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging (Friedman Center) at IPH aims to provide multi-disciplinary support for investigators and organization to conduct innovative aging research and ensure its translation into practice, expand education on issues relevant to individual and population aging, and support aging initiatives throughout St. Louis and around the world. Monthly seminars present current research and perspectives on aging for experts drawn from medicine, social work, psychology and law. The Friedman Center is an active partner in the I-70 Corridor Network on Aging, which aims to facilitate the creation of interdisciplinary research teams from universities and industrial partners along the I-70 corridor in Missouri and Kansas. These research teams work to address significant questions about aging, successfully compete for the funding of research that might not otherwise be fundable, and share in the advancement of teaching gerontology through cooperative exchanges among the I-70 participants. In addition to WUSM, founding institutions include the University of Kansas, Lawrence, the University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas State University, Washburn University of Topeka, the University of Missouri - Kansas City, Rockhurst University, MU, UMSL, and SLU. Senior housing partners include TigerPlace (described separately in Resources), a state-academic-private project to revolutionize traditional long-term care, and three care institutions in Lawrence Kansas.

The Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement serves to catalyze community and civic engagement among students, staff, faculty and alumni stakeholders by community-based teaching and scholarship. The Institute was founded by retired US Congressman Dick Gephardt as the Gephardt Institute for Public Service in 2005. The Community-Based Teaching and Learning (CBTL) program is embraced by all seven WU schools and offers nearly 75 courses that enable students of all disciplines to provide service to the community while applying their learning in a real life context.
The goal of the Genome Engineering and Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Center (GEiC) is to speed scientific discovery through the rapid and precise modification of genomes. GEiC was formed by the consolidation of two pre-existing cores, the Genome Engineering Center (GEC), which uses engineered endonucleases to create targeted modifications of mammalian genomes in order to speed scientific discovery, validate therapeutic targets, and increase scientific productivity; and the Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Core (iPSC), which facilitates functional genomic studies through the use of patient-derived cells. (The GEC and the iPSC Core are described separately in Resources)
The Genome Engineering Center (GEC) is a core facility offering a variety of custom genome editing services. The GEC supports the following:

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  Custom and Validated TALEN or CRISPR Vectors: The GEC designs, assembles, and validates transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs), and clustered regularly spaced palindromic repeats (CRISPR) vectors for each user-defined modification. Activity of each endonuclease in a cell line from the species of interest is validated for targets in the human, mouse, or rat genome.
  
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  Custom Knockout Cell Lines: The GEC will work with investigators to create targeted knockout cell lines.
  
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  Custom Knockin Cell Lines: The GEC will work with investigators to create targeted knockin cell lines. These modifications include, but are not limited to, point mutations, codon modifications, targeted insertions or deletions, and gene tagging.
  

The Genome Technology Access Center (GTAC), a component of the ICTS Genomic Medicine Program, was established by the WUSM Department of Genetics to provide cutting-edge and cost effective sequencing and analysis technologies to local colleagues and external investigators. The GTAC offers fee-for-service sample preparation, data generation, bioinformatics analysis, and intellectual support for microarray, PCR, and high-throughput sequencing studies. Clinical sequencing, microarrays and PCR are done in CAP/CLIA certified laboratories, providing test validation and direct translation of research observation to clinical genetics analysis. GTAC provides leading-edge detection of disease-specific mutations and gene expression patterns in patient samples using conventional and laboratory-developed assays, and can provide a seamless conduit from the Tissue Procurement Core (TPC) so that samples can be accessed, processed and analyzed in an organized fashion. GTAC is a WUSM shared resource including SCC and the CTSA. The GTAC laboratories are located on the 2nd and 3^rd floors of the CORTEX Innovation District, which are proximal to the Center for Biomedical Informatics (CBMI). Laboratories and facilities consist of approximately 5,000 sq. ft. of space in total. GTAC is currently staffed by 23 scientists.

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  NGS (Next Generation Sequencing) – The GTAC is involved in every step of sequencing research, including experimental design, DNA/RNA QC, library construction, sequencing, and analysis of NGS data. Numerous NGS technologies are available including whole genome, whole exome, custom capture, amplicon sequencing, RNA-Seq, ChIP-Seq, and methylation sequencing. For each case, multiple library preparation methods are in production. For example, RNA-Seq libraries can be prepared from polyA selection, ribosomal depletion, or multiple cDNA amplification approaches for low input samples.
  
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  Microarray – The microarray facility involves itself in every step of microarray research, including custom array design, DNA/RNA QC, amplification, labeling, hybridization, scanning, statistical analysis and submission of data. The facility is equipped to run all microarray formats, including Illumina, Affymetrix, and Agilent.
  
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  PCR – The PCR facility provides researchers with several options for gene expression, copy number variation, SNP genotyping, custom amplicon generation for sequencing, and single-cell expression. Both high and medium-to-low throughput options are available.
  
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  Bioinformatics – In addition to providing raw data (sequencing, microarray, PCR) the GTAC also gives investigators access to comprehensive bioinformatic analysis using extensively validated workflows for all of its data generation services. Pipelines for alignments, variant calling, expression, differential expression, PCA, clustering, tumor/germline subtraction, and allelic expression (among others) are in production.
  
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  CAP/CLIA – In addition to research services, the GTAC also supplies CAP/CLIA services for NGS, Microarray, and PCR as part of the Genomics & Pathology Services (GPS) organization. The GTAC is responsible for the development and running of both patient care tests such as the Comprehensive Cancer Panel as well as custom tests for clinical trials.
  

The Genomics and Pathology Services (GPS@WUSTL) Core is a collaborative initiative between the Department of Pathology & Immunology and the Department of Genetics, is a clinical genomics laboratory at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Located in the state of the art Cortex building in the Cortex Innovation District, GPS delivers clinically validated testing in CAP-accredited, CLIA certified laboratories that are supported by extensive clinical and genomic experience and advanced technologies. Clinical genomic tests offered through GPS improve patient care by enabling a personalized approach to medicine, founded on next-generation sequencing tests that return actionable genomic intelligence across 24 multiple key disease-relevant gene sets. Sequencing results are interpreted by board-certified pathologists and clinical geneticists. Variants are categorized by medical significance in a concise clinical report. These results help ordering physicians stratify disease subtypes and identify optimal patient treatment strategies. GPS provides customized assay development in support of clinical trials and research, as well as clinical genomics fellowships that provide career development tracks for MD or doctoral level, biomedical professionals. GPS capabilities include Next-Gen sequencing, Sanger Sequencing, microarray for CNV analysis and SNP genotyping, quantitative digital PCTS, as well as a wide range of cytogenetic tests and clinical bioinformatics.