The Miami Integrative Metabolomics Research Center (MIMRC) houses several instruments for use of investigators along with providing a range of pre and post processing analytical assistance. The Ophthalmology Mass Spectrometry Core works as a distinct fiscally independent unit under the aegis of MIMRC with one common director. The objective of MIMRC is to provide assistance beyond routine sample processing by assisting investigators in structuring the experiments as well as providing post processing bioinformatics analysis of instrument output. MIMRC enables a group of interdisciplinary investigators to collaborate across different disciplines, support grant proposals, and bring different platforms and technologies for common use. It provides a venue for different volunteer trainees to collaborate with principal investigators and industries to acquire skills that would not be available in other settings. Eventually it will allow dynamic addition of instruments, and provide for the operation and maintenance of these instruments based on need and acquired resources:
Philanthropic funding and grant funding will be an important source of support for the MIMRC. The medium-term goal of MIMRC is to bring additional imaging mass spectrometry, super resolution structured illumination, and asymmetric ion mobility instruments to the university, enabling full-service proteomics, lipidomics and metabolomics services. The MIMRC intends to combine a service platform (core facility) with intellect in order to offer an extended range of services to investigators and selected industry partners, while integrating trainees in the workflow.
Objectives
- To generate greater impact of scientific research by combining strengths of multidisciplinary science with innovative instruments and collaborative users
- To convey to all scientific investigators across our University that a serious facility exists, which is more than a mere core facility. Core facilities do only a few routine analyses repeatedly. Whereas this center can assist in designing experiments for maximum scientific impact and providing wide range of bioinformatic analyses of results.
- To create an environment where colleagues can network and undertake cross-disciplinary research utilizing the expertise of the center. MIMRC is poised to be a breeding ground of cross-disciplinary interaction uniting researchers from diverse fields bound by usage of common analytical platform, reagents and methods. MIMRC thus will facilitate cross-investigation of multidisciplinary problems based on usage of common platforms and technologies.
- Addition of new state of the art instruments, ensuing their operation and effective usage. Costing will be based on a usage model with other aids to render them sustainable over their lifetime and beyond.
- Evolve the Center’s financial sustainability based on a group of users seeking suitable aids in incremental steps. The important drivers of sustainability are academic leaders and users.
MIMRC is about sharing reagents, protocols and cross-fertilization of ideas. MIMRC is about impactful research. MIMRC is about cross-disciplinary bioinformatics and big data analytics in interdisciplinary biomedical sciences.
Leaders and Scientific Outlook
Founding Director
Dr. Sanjoy Bhattacharya, a tenured full professor with interest in proteomics, metabolomics, lipidomics and cross-disciplinary integrative bioinformatics, is its founding director. Dr. Bhattacharya’s research interest is in progressive and complex vision defects affecting retinal ganglion cells. His group applies multi-omics analysis combined with bioinformatics, computational analysis and big data analytics for neuro-regeneration projects. His group is also interested in large multi-organ metabolomics analysis
The current active areas of MIMRC are divided into six clusters:
Neuroscience Cluster
This cluster is involved in projects encompassing basic lipid, metabolomics questions with neurosciences (cluster 1).
Dr. Sanjoy Bhattacharya
Dr. Kevin Park
Metabolomics, Endocrinology, and Diabetes Cluster
General Metabolomics and endocrinology related to human metabolism (cluster 2).
Dr. Ernesto Bernal Mizrachi
Microbiome and Microbial Metabolomics Cluster
This cluster with expertise in classical microbiome analysis and bioinformatics engages in organ specific and systemic analysis of microbiome involvement in health and disease (cluster 3).
Dr. Santanu Banerjee
Dr. Darlene Miller
Computational Cluster
This cluster will be evaluating new software and tools and will be responsible for new computation tools (cluster 4)
Xiaodong Cai
Mohammad Samarah
Cell Division and Metabolism Cluster
This cluster will be involved in studies of membrane formation and asymmetric distribution of lipids on cytosolic side (cluster 5)
Wael El-Rifai
Dr. Sanjoy Bhattacharya
Extra-Institutional and Training Cluster
MIMRC has an active program to outreach local institutions and training including training grants (cluster 6).
Richard Perry
Robert Starke
Luis Vazquez
Roberta Soares