# Molecular Cytogenetics Shared Resource

> **NIH NIH P30** · COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES · 2024 · $82,894

## Abstract

MOLECULAR CYTOGENETICS SHARED RESOURCE: PROJECT SUMMARY
The Molecular Cytogenetics Shared Resource (MCSR) provides access to advanced DNA repair and genomic
instability analyses to members of the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center (HICCC). The services
include (1) analyses of chromosomal structural, morphological, and rearrangement patterns (including
karyotyping, spectral karyotyping (SKY), chromosome painting, and fluorescence in situ hybridization [FISH]),
(2) analyses of genomic instability at specialized genomic regions (telomere, rDNA), (3) DNA damage responses
and repair pathway analyses (including the kinetics of DNA repair protein foci), (4) development of genome-wide
tools to analyze chromosomal translocation and mutations patterns (including high throughput sequence
platforms), and (5) consultation and completed packages for experimental design, staining, data acquisition, and
processing. Under the leadership of Shan Zha, PhD, an expert in DNA double-strand breaks repair, these
comprehensive and customizable services, together with specialized instruments maintained by the MCSR,
enable investigators at varying skill levels with the knowledge to characterize clonal changes as well as non-
clonal genomic instability in cancer cells and in premalignant tissues from a wide range of organisms. Over the
current project period (2014-2019), MSR has undergone leadership and instrument reorganization. In this
process, the MCSR acquired new equipment and developed new assays, which significantly expanded its ability
to quantitatively study DNA repair mechanisms. The reorganized MCSR is now managed by a dedicated PhD-
level staff and provides convenient, cost-effective, and innovative service to HICCC members. The MCSR
provides services that are not available from commercial sources and not easily accessible within the New York
metropolitan area and are proven to be critically important to the research of many HICCC members, providing
key preliminary data for grant applications and high-impact publications. In addition to providing both basic and
advanced services across different area of DNA repair and genomic instability studies, the MCSR also provides
training to HICCC members in the operation of specialized instruments and in sample preparation and analyses.
In addition, consulting services are available to investigators to assist in the design of the most cost-effective
analyses and provide controls needed to validate the assay and the data. The MCSR is committed to
incorporating novel experimental portfolios and the use of analytic tools, providing state-of-the-art genomic
stability services, and promoting accessibility of services through training and consulting in support of highly
collaborative and innovative research ongoing at the HICCC. During the current project period, the MCSR was
utilized by 21 HICCC members, supported key data for seven peer-reviewed publications, including four papers
in high-impact journals (e.g., Nature...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10880396
- **Project number:** 5P30CA013696-49
- **Recipient organization:** COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES
- **Principal Investigator:** Shan Zha
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $82,894
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1997-07-04 → 2025-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10880396

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10880396, Molecular Cytogenetics Shared Resource (5P30CA013696-49). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10880396. Licensed CC0.

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