Research
Objectives
The HGC Laboratory proudly serves as the NHLBI contract facility for the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study and collaborates with major projects, including the Framingham Heart Study (FHS), the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL), the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), and the Alzheimer’s Disease Sequencing Project. Through these collaborations, we work to uncover modifiable molecular determinants of disease risk. HGC also plays an active role in multi-institutional efforts such as the CHARGE Epigenetics Working Group. We maintain strong partnerships with industry leaders like Illumina to stay at the forefront of genome-wide methylation technology advancements. Our technical expertise includes processing and analyzing a wide range of tissue types, including formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) and fragmented DNA samples.
With over two decades of experience, the HGC Laboratory boasts comprehensive proficiency across a spectrum of genotyping platforms, including:
• Illumina Infinium Arrays
• Life Technologies TaqMan and OpenArray™ Systems
• DNA and RNA extraction
• Sample Aliquoting and Biorepository
Projects
Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC)
The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study initially served to identify risk factors for subclinical atherosclerosis. The study included Black and white adults between the ages of 45 and 65 who lived in four U.S. communities nationwide. As participants have aged, study goals have shifted to focus on risk factors for heart diseases, including heart attack (myocardial infarction), coronary heart disease, stroke, and heart failure. The study also measures how heart disease risk factors, medical care, and health outcomes vary by race, ethnicity, sex, location, and time.
Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine (TOPMed)
A program of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), a part of the National Institutes of Health, which aims to improve scientific understanding of the fundamental biological processes that underlie heart, lung, blood, and sleep (HLBS) disorders and advance precision medicine in ways that lead to disease treatments tailored to individuals’ unique genes and environments.
Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology (CHARGE)
The Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology (CHARGE) Consortium was formed to facilitate GWAS meta-analyses and replication among extensive, well-phenotyped cohort studies. The design of the CHARGE Consortium was formed initially from 5 prospective cohort studies from the United States and Europe: the Age, Gene/Environment Susceptibility (AGES) - Reykjavik Study, the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study, the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS), the Framingham Heart Study (FHS), and the Rotterdam Study (RS). Additional studies have expanded the CHARGE consortium based on the phenotypes and willingness to share information across the research community.
MIND Center - Mayo Clinic Study of Aging (SOA)
The UMMC MIND Center - Mayo Clinic Study of Aging (SOA) is a research study about healthy aging and preserving thinking and physical abilities as people age. The Memory Impairment and Neurodegenerative Dementia (MIND) Center at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) is leading this study with our partner and research leader, the Mayo Clinic. Building upon over two decades of research collaboration with investigators at the Mayo Clinic, our new study is a landmark project seeking to provide critical answers for Alzheimer’s disease, one of the most complex, costly, and heartbreaking diseases of our time. The Study of Aging will include Mississippi residents, aged 30 and older, who will be followed over time. Taking advantage of detailed evaluations of many participants observed for years, the study could impact our understanding of healthy aging and help solve the puzzle of Alzheimer’s disease.
