BUDGET JUSTIFICATION We request the digital PCR Absolute Q from Applied Biosystems to perform all the experiments related to assessing in-house gene expression. We use facilities at Yale to perform RNA-seq experiments. These experiments, which represent most of the experiments performed in our lab, complement the RNA-sequencing experiments and are indispensable to validating and testing all subsequent hypotheses. However, to validate and test other experiments, such as m6A-IP followed by qPCR analysis, we currently use our colleague’s qRT-PCR machine, the only one in our institute of seven laboratories. Thus, there is high demand for the instrument, and it is not always available. Moreover, there is a need to access better technologies, such as digital PCR, that allow for the quantitation of RNA molecules without the need for a reference transcript. This grant opportunity provides the best option to increase our productivity and the quality of our results. Acquiring this type of equipment using our current R35 is prohibited since we don’t have a budget reserved for such kind of equipment. However, we have part of the R35 budget for small equipment and supplies. We plan to use the equipment budget to pay for services and supplies. The acquisition of this equipment will benefit our lab and our institute since we share most of our equipment. My postdocs Marcelo Perez and Swapna Naik have experience with similar equipment, so they can exploit this new technology and take care of its maintenance.