The Marshall University Genomics and Bioinformatics Core (GABC) will offer its services in support of the proposed Appalachian Center for Cellular Transport in Obesity Related Disorders (ACCORD). This COBRE application contains five projects each of which addresses the role of cellular transporters in the development of obesity. Although their goals and specific aims vary, all five projects rely on at least one of the GABC services for completion of their research goals; four of the investigator projects and a collaborative project will require RNA-Seq expression profiling. The objective of the GABC is to enable the genomic and bioinformatics research goals of this COBRE application and to assist other investigators in obtaining and analyzing genomic data. The GABC will provide the following five services to COBRE investigators: (1) high throughput Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) in support of RNA-Seq and other global genomic studies, (2) bioinformatic methods and analyses for NGS projects, (3) automated Sanger DNA sequencing and RNA/DNA quality assessment, (4) access to critical shared instruments including real-time thermal cyclers, Luminex 200 system, Protein Simple Fluorimeter and SpectraMax plate reader and (5) workshops on NGS and bioinformatic methods central to the COBRE research projects. The GABC business model includes a full-service plan of operation for provision of NGS and other genomic services to the COBRE investigators. We anticipate that our full service model will encourage COBRE and other investigators to adopt genomic approaches in their research and that these interactions will promote the growth of GABC and genomic research in West Virginia. The GABC will enable COBRE investigators to identify and characterize candidate pathways that help to explain the role of transporters in the development of obesity. Our strategic plan and centralized expertise will improve the efficiency of the research process in terms of improved access and reduced time and cost of genomic data analysis. The long term impact of GABC participation will be to stimulate discovery of molecular mechanisms in chronic diseases prevalent in West Virginia.