HSDRC Investigators
Pilot and Feasibility Studies
Links
Administrative Core
Morphology & Cell Analysis Core
Cell Culture Core
Leukocyte Migration Core
siRNA Core
Transgenic Models Core
A number of labs in our community are beginning to assemble clones encoding small inhibitory RNAs. In discussions within the community, it has become clear that a centralized resource is needed to allow researchers access to these powerful reagents. This facility would encompass two key functions. The first is the creation and maintenance of a repository of plasmid clones, including shRNA clones, which allows users to search and request specific sets of clones as needed for their experiments. The second is the creation of a database to track the clones that have been created and to indicate whether or not they have been demonstrated to be successful. This latter function is invaluable, because it allows users to avoid having to repeat the testing of 5 different siRNAs per gene to find the one that works.

We have successfully addressed the first of these functions with the creation of a plasmid repository supported by the in-house designed Plasmid Information Database or “PlasmID” (http://plasmid.hms.harvard.edu). At PlasmID, users can register and sign in, search for clones, and place clone requests on-line. Importantly, we can distribute clones to HSDRC members without the delays associated with Materials Transfer Agreements (MTAs) because we got pre-approval of our MTA from all Harvard-associated institutions. Several shRNAs and vectors that facilitate RNAi approaches have been shared with the repository and we work hard to encourage researchers to add additional sets of shRNAs to the collection (small and large clone sets are accepted). We are currently in design stages with a second database that will track the potency of siRNAs and shRNAs designed for RNAi-based knockdown. We will make every effort to let the HSDRC community know when more RNAi-related tools are available from the siRNA core.

To ensure the broad scientific and technical expertise that will be needed to make this core fully operational, the following local scientists have agreed to serve as an advisory board:

David Bartel (Whitehead Institute)
Joan Brugge (Dept of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School)
Susan Lindquist (Whitehead Institute)
David Livingston (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute)
Norbert Perrimon (Dept of Genetics, Harvard Medical School)
Stuart Schreiber (Dept of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard Medical School)
Phil Sharp (McGovern Institute, MIT)
Peter Sorger (Dept of Biology, MIT)

Core services:

Plasmid repository and distribution service. http://plasmid.hms.harvard.edu
As described above, we established a plasmid repository and developed an Oracle database for search and request of clones. The repository collection includes empty vectors for shRNA approaches, shRNAs for knock-down of specific genes, and tens of thousands of human cDNA and ORF clones useful for complimentary approaches. Clones in the repository are stored in a state-of-the-art freezer storage system (the BioBank and supporting robotics) that includes storage of samples in 2D barcode-labeled tubes, automated arraying, and robust quality control measures.
Contact us: derm@rics.bwh.harvard.edu