Resource Report

URL: http://psm.eagle-i.net/i/00000136-2b31-7276-7d04-928480000000

Proper Citation: Ponce School of Medicine and Health Sciences AIDS Research Infrastructure Core (RRID:SCR_010047)

Description: Core facility that provides the following services: HIV viral load test, Immunoprofile assay, HIV genotype by sequencing assay, Virtual phenotyping assay, RNA and DNA tropism, HCV genotyping, HCV qualitative and quantitative test, HIV ELISA. The Ponce School of Medicine (PSM) RCMI AIDS Research Infrastructure Program (ARIP) proposes to further upgrade its core laboratory units in order to best meet the needs of current and prospective ARIP faculty members. It also proposes to facilitate the institution of career development programs specifically designed to meet the identified requirements of the ARIP faculty members; the current mentoring and partnership program will be strengthened to support their careers. The proposed ARIP Phase V activities will revolve around three specific aims. Specific Aim #1: To further improve and expand the research capabilities of the AIDS research core laboratories in viral genetics, immunology, and drugs of abuse. ARIP cores will be made accessible to the AIDS/HIV investigators from other institutions and countries in order to facilitate the development of high caliber collaborative research that will share the same technologies. The advanced technologies and instrumentation offered by ARIP will enable investigators to study the characteristics of the AIDS/HIV infection in the Caribbean region. Sophisticated instruments and equipment will be made available in real time to investigators from other institutions (via an Internet-2 connection) in an ongoing effort to foster collaboration. By accessing the institution website (www.psm.edu), interested investigators can take part in online training sessions as well as reserve instruments. Specific Aim #2: To implement a career development program (tailor-made for individual ARIP faculty members) that will include research & career mentoring, research consultation, and partnership development. A concerted effort will be made to develop a viable institutional faculty retention plan, which will include faculty incentives through research enterprise activities; in the past, lack of effective faculty development and retention programs has caused the loss of key members. Critical self-analyses were performed to identify the needs of current faculty members so that specific plans might be designed around the requirements of each individual. Specific Aim #3: To implement additional AIDS/HIV-related research programs at PSM as well as at the island?s other three RCMI-sponsored institutions. PSM currently has eight faculty members with actively funded AIDS-related independent research projects (representing the greatest number among the PR RCMI institutions). ARIP members have been active in pursuing the possibility of developing CFAR and CTSA proposals via the program?s ongoing partnership with the consortium of U-FL, USF, FCU, and FSU.

Resource Type: service resource, access service resource, core facility

Keywords: polymerase chain reaction, flow cytometry assay, sequencing assay, elisa