UW Department of Biology

The Comparative Genomics Center is a Biology Department facility where researchers, including students, post docs, faculty, and staff can train on and use current high-throughput tools for genomic and molecular genetic research. Since the Center is a user facility, researchers can trouble shoot their procedures as they work, rather than having to wait for data to be returned from a central service facility or contract laboratory before they can see what has worked and what has not. An additional advantage of the Center being a user facility is that users can be creative in attempting to develop faster, better, and/or cheaper ways of generating their data. The CGC is the next best thing to having the equipment in your own lab. 

The Center has two Genetic Analyzers, a 16-capillary ABI 3130XL and a 48 capillary ABI 3730, which load samples for sequencing or fragment analysis from 96- or 384- well microtitre plates. There are two twin-block thermocyclers to run cycle sequencing reactions, fragment amplifications, and other PCR protocols in 96- or 384-well plates. The Center also has a four color Real Time PCR instrument for quantitative PCR in 96-well plate format, a multi-mode plate reader, and a phosphorimager/fluorimager.  The Qiagen BioRobot 8000 liquid-handling robot can carry out automated genomic and plasmid DNA preps, PCR clean ups, and other customized protocols in 96- or 384-well formats. Microplate pipetting can be done using the BioRobot and the Apricot Personal Pipettor, in 96-well and 384-well plates.  The Victor3V plate reader has a wide variety of uses in molecular biology, biochemistry, and physiology.  These instrumentation resources make a broad range of research goals in population, developmental, and evolutionary genetics accessible for researchers in the Department of Biology.  New instruments are occasionally added.  See the full CGC instrument list here.

The Comparative Genomics Center (CGC) was established in 2003 with the generous support of the Murdock Foundation. The center began operating as a Cost Center on 7/1/07. The CGC accepts external customers. Some information about external rates. Billing is normally processed quarterly but other arrangements can be made upon request.