Coriell Personalized Medicine Collaborative^® (CPMC^®) in partnership with Ohio State University Medical Center physicians is incorporating genetic risk information into patients’ electronic medical records. The goal of the CPMC study is to understand the utility of genome information in patient care and develop best practices for the field.

Human fibroblasts are specialized collagen-producing cells located in the dermis (inner) layer of the skin. Researchers can use these fibroblasts to derive stem cells for research. They were identified using a fluorescence stain against fibroblasts.

Understanding the molecular mechanisms and processes in living cells has been critical in understanding the basis for many diseases including those of genetic origin. As you pursue your basic or discovery research questions, Coriell’s Molecular Biology Group can help to design the best custom service using our technologies and expertise.

This is a human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell. It was a skin cell that was reprogrammed to become an undifferentiated cell that now the potential to become any one of the 200 cells types in our bodies. This ability to become multiple other cells is called pluripotency. The purple stain in this image indicates that the active protein (enzyme) that is indicative of pluripotency is present and active within the undifferentiated cell. This is one of the first tests scientist perform to determine whether a cell is pluripotent.

A DNA microarray, also commonly known as GeneChip, is a collection of microscopic DNA spots attached to a solid surface. Scientists use DNA microarrays to measure the expression levels of large numbers of genes simultaneously or to genotype multiple regions of a genome.

This is a brain cell – a neuron. It was created from a skin cell in Coriell’s stem cell laboratory. The biotechnology used to accomplish this incredible feat is called induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology.

Coriell’s Genotyping and Microarray Center – one of the nation’s largest centers – is a high-capacity facility with high-throughput systems from Illumina and Affymetrix, including 12 FS450 Affymetrix fluidics stations and 3 state of the art GCS3000 scanners. The Center can process up to 2,000 DNA or RNA samples per month.

In preparation for their storage in the Coriell Biobank, cultured cells are placed in glass ampules along with cryo-preservative; the tops of the ampules are then sealed with a flame. Before they are placed in the biobank, the cells are cooled down in a controlled-rate freezer to prevent them from being damaged. They are then placed in a tank filled with liquid nitrogen at minus 316° Fahrenheit. Each ampule holds thousands of cells. Each tank can hold up to 36,720 ampules. Cells can be preserved this way indefinitely.

The scientific term for fat is adipose tissue, and fat cells are called adipocytes. In cell biology, stromal cells are connective tissue cells of any organ. Stem cell researchers are interested in stem cells easily obtained from fat. Adipose stromal cells are excellent for differentiating to not only adipocytes (fat cells), but also to other cell types such as neuronal (brain neurons), chondrogenic (bone), and others. In this picture, Coriell has taken fat cells and differentiated them to adipose (fat) stem cells to prove that they are capable of differentiating. It is part of the required characterization to confirm the cells are indeed stem cells.