# Mays Cancer Center at UT Health SA

> **NIH NIH P30** · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HLTH SCIENCE CENTER · 2022 · $84,791

## Abstract

Project Summary—Next Generation Sequencing Shared Resource
The mission of the Next-Generation Sequencing Shared Resource (NGSSR) is to provide Mays Cancer Center
(MCC) members with state-of-the-art next generation sequencing technology for detecting and exploring
alterations in nucleotide sequence, DNA copy number variation, gene expression differences, chromosome
structure variation, chromatin modification and all interactions which are linked to the complexity of phenotypes
seen in cancers. The NGSSR, directed by Zhao Lai, Ph.D., has been an MCC Shared Resource since 2012.
It is located in 1,000 sq. ft. of space in the Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute (GCCRI) building,
adjacent to the MCC. Dr. Lai is assisted by technical director Ms. Dawn Garcia. The NGSSR conducts
sequence applications for MCC users across all 3 scientific programs. Services include various types of library
construction, DNA-seq, RNA-seq, ChIP-seq, small RNA-seq and exomeCap-seq, CRISPR screening, 16S
metagenomics, and single cell analysis. In addition, Dr. Lai and the NGSSR team assist users with experimental
design and provide educational training to faculty, staff and students. The NGSSR works closely with the
Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Shared Resource (BBSR), led by Yidong Chen, Ph.D. (PSP), a bioinformatics
expert. The BBSR works with the NGSSR to provide MCC members with computational capabilities that
complement the NGSSR’s offerings. The NGSSR is overseen by a Scientific Advisory Committee and the MCC
Shared Resource Oversight Committee (SROC). In 2018, the NGSSR was used by 31 peer-reviewed funded
MCC members (36% of total usage) and contributed to 12 cancer-related manuscripts in 2018. Since its
inception, from 2014 to the middle of 2018, NGSSR has quickly become an essential component in MCC and
transformed the genomics research environment for MCC members with a nearly three-fold increase in the
number of users and contributions to over 44 cancer-related publications in NEJM, Nature, Cancer Cell, PNAS,
and other high-impact peer-reviewed journals. As new tools and reagents are developed (e.g. liquid biopsies)
they can be readily implemented in NGS assays. Another exciting area of cancer research is single-cell analysis.
The NGSSR will be heavily involved in strategic planning and design of these experiments. The NGSSR has
improved efficiency, created a smooth data pipeline incorporating analyses, and acquired new hardware through
multiple funding sources to upgrade its equipment. It continues to provide essential cutting-edge, high-quality,
and cost-effective services to MCC users across all 3 scientific programs.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10460437
- **Project number:** 5P30CA054174-27
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HLTH SCIENCE CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Zhao Lai
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $84,791
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1997-08-01 → 2025-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10460437

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10460437, Mays Cancer Center at UT Health SA (5P30CA054174-27). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10460437. Licensed CC0.

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