Project Number: 6402-21310-003-00
Project Type: Appropriated

Start Date: May 20, 2008
End Date: May 19, 2013

Objective:
The objective of this research area is to develop novel imaging technologies aimed at confronting critical issues facing production animal agriculture by monitoring, in real-time, cellular and molecular processing in the context of the living organism. Specific research projects will cover a broad range of research in the cellular and molecular biological sciences, disease-environment interactions, animal-plant interfaces, and growth and developmental physiology with applications aimed at understanding physiological mechanisms with a specific emphasis on enhancing production performance in livestock.

Approach:
The Mid-South Area Genomics Laboratory (MGL) functions as a fully integrated component of the MSA which provides genomics service for an array of technologies. These services include, but are not limited to, high throughput DNA sequencing, gene expression analysis, bioinformatics, DNA marker development, BAC fingerprinting and high throughput genotyping with DNA markers. The centralization of these operations assures that all research projects in the MSA that could benefit from these genomic tools have access to the technology, that there is no unnecessary duplication of equipment within the Area, and there is maximum utilization and conservation of funding.