News Release

NYU announces establishment of a center for comparative functional genomics

Peer-Reviewed Publication

New York University

Center will determine function of novel genes uncovered in genome sequencing projects

New York University today announced the formation of a Center for Comparative Functional Genomics. This major new initiative will use state-of-the-art tools of biology, mathematics and computer science to determine the function of novel genes that are being uncovered in genome sequencing projects.

The Center will investigate evolutionary relationships between species and the special adaptive responses of species in their particular environments to understand the functions of these genes in complex biological processes. Discoveries made at the Center are expected to have applications in health care, pharmaceutics, agriculture, conservation and industrial procedures.

In studies already initiated, the Center's scientists are exploiting an NYU discovery that plants express a protein closely related to an important regulator of neural activity in the brains of vertebrate animals, including humans. The existence of this plant protein offers the opportunity of isolating and testing new drugs that could aid in the treatment of neurological diseases, as well as developing new methods to improve growth of agriculturally important plants.

The Center for Comparative Functional Genomics will bring together faculty from the NYU Biology Department and NYU's Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences to promote active collaborations in comparative genomics. Additional faculty will be added in areas of molecular genetics, protein biochemistry and cell biology, as well as computational biology. The program will be under the joint direction of genomic biologists, computer scientists and mathematicians.

In addition to its research focus, the Center will train a new generation of life scientists. The intricate nature of modern biological problems and the volume of data generated by genomics projects make it essential that the insights of mathematics and computer science are integrated with those of biology. This integration will be emphasized in the Center's programs.

The Center will also draw upon the close ties that exist between NYU and the American Museum of Natural History and The New York Botanical Garden. These two institutions are leaders in research on evolutionary biology, and, through The Lewis B. and Dorothy Cullman Program for Molecular Systematics Studies, have active programs in comparative genomics, and are home to the largest collections of animal and plant specimens in the world. The Center will also interface with NYU's School of Medicine and NYU's affiliate, the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, to integrate genomics programs across the university's campuses.

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