Kellogg Microarray Accelerates Genetic Research at U-M

If all our cells contain the same genetic material, how does each group of cells know what its job is and how to carry it out successfully? The answer lies in differential expression. Studying this aspect of DNA recently got a big boost when the Kellogg Eye Center became one of the first departments in the country to be granted funding from the National Eye Institute to create a Gene Microarray Facility.

Gene microarray, also known as DNA chip technology, allows researchers to study thousands of DNA segments at once, looking for changes in the usual genetic sequence.

The Gene Microarray Facility will ultimately assist researchers who study not only vision, but also hearing, taste and smell. U-M scientists plan to use the microarray on a variety of projects, including macular degeneration, cataract formation, eye development, retinal regeneration, glaucoma, inner ear development and deafness.

The microarray research project team includes Anand Swaroop, Ph.D., project director; Julia Richards, Ph.D., associate director; Mohammad Othman, Ph.D., project manager; and research staff Rafal Farjo, Shigeo Yoshida, M.D., Ph.D.; Jindan Yu and Yuhong Zhang.

—Randall Wallach