GWUMC, CMIA, Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Center at CNMC, Cellular Imaging Core,

The Children’s National Medical Center (CNMC), in collaboration with Georgetown University Medical Center (GU) and the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences (GWU), submitted a competitive renewal for its Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Center (MRDDRC). This center focuses on developmental and cellular aspects of brain development and dysfunction and on the molecular basis of genetic diseases causing intellectual and other developmental disabilities.

The 84 NIH/NSF funded grants that form the investigator group for the MRDDRC have annual direct costs of more than $21 million, over $7 from NICHD. The projects cover 23 of the 31 areas of focus in the MRDDRC RFA: HD-05-030. A total of 69 faculty members are affiliated with the MRDDRC as Center Investigators. These faculty represent 23 departments/divisions from the collaborating institutions. We propose to support an Administrative and 5 scientific cores:

Molecular Genetics,

Proteomics and Biochemical Analysis Core (MGPBAC);

Cellular Imaging Core (CI); Neuroimaging Core:

Neurobehavioral Evaluation Core (NEC);

Biostatistics and Informatics (BIC).

The Director of the MRDDRC, Mark L. Batshaw, MD, was previously the founding Director of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia MRDDRC (1990-1998). He will also direct the Administrative Core that functions as the hub of the Center, providing strategic planning, financial oversight and administrative services to cores and users.

MGPBAC provides access to and training in advanced molecular biologic technologies including expression microarrays, quantitative PCR and automated DNA sequencing, proteomic technology and biochemical analysis by tandem mass spectrometry.

The Cellular Imaging Core focuses on classic neuropathology (light and EM), immunohistochemistry, and innovative techniques such as confocal microscopy.

The Neuroimaging Core provides access to structural and functional brain imaging and image processing.

The Biostatistics and Informatics Core assists investigators in study development, use of statistical methodology, and data storage management and analysis.

Neurobehavioral Evaluation Core provides support for neuropsychological testing and development of behavioral tasks for functional imaging.

With the continued support of the MRDDRC, we expect to further enhance research productivity in the area of intellectual and other developmental disabilities.

The Cellular Imaging Core has one 2000 square foot facility at the Center for Neuroscience Research at Children's with equipment dedicated to time-lapse multiphoton microscopy, confocal microscopy, calcium imaging, electrophysiology, and the production and maintenance of primary, organotypic slice, and cell line cultures. GWU Center for Microscopy and Image Analysis (CMIA) is a component of Cellular Neuroimaging Core of MRDDRC, which is under supervision of Anastas Popratiloff, MD, PhD. CMIA is 2000 square foot facility at the George Washington University and offers equipment and support for electron microscopy, confocal imaging and image analysis. The Children's facility is under the direction of Tarik F. Haydar, PhD. Major equipment in the facility include an LSM510 Meta NLO multiphoton/confocal microscope for time-lapse investigation in living brain tissue, a stereo fluorescence LUMAR microscope system and a newly acquired Zeiss Apotome grid microscope for optical sectioning and live imaging. In addition, several other calcium imaging, stereo dissecting and patch clamping systems are also housed within the Children's facility.

For more information about GWUMC component of MRDDRC Cellular Neuroimaging Core, or if you are MRDDRC affiliated investigator who wants to schedule an appointment for available instrumentation contact:

Anastas Popratiloff, MD, PhD

Director Center for Microscopy and Image Analysis

Research Associate Professor of Anatomy and Regenerative Biology,

The George Washington University Medical Center

Ross Hall 4312300 I St NW

Washington DC 20037

anaasp@gwumc.edu

202.994.2881

For general Information on Cellular Neuroimaging Core contact the core co-director:

Vittorio Gallo, PhD

MRDDRC Cellular Neuroimaging Core Co-Director

Director MRDD