Progress Report Highlights
STDOI Highlights
| Photo |
Highlight |
 |
STDOI scientists established research operations in the Luis Colom Building on the UTRGV Brownsville campus, at the Edinburg Regional Academic Health Center (now Edinburg Research Education Building) on the UTRGV Edinburg campus, and in the San Antonio Technology Center in San Antonio, Texas. |
 |
State-of-the-art molecular genetics laboratories and computing facilities were established on the UTRGV Brownsville campus. Dr. John Blangero, Director of STDOIGenomics Computing Center, led the installation of an 11,000-processor high-performance computer cluster named Medusa. |
 |
John VandeBerg, Ph.D., coordinated the successful transfer of 1,000 laboratory (Monodelphis domestica) opossums to a newly-established laboratory animal facility on the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Brownsville campus. Dr. VandeBerg leads research using the laboratory opossum model to identify specific genes and environmental factors that influence physiological characteristics in this important animal model. |
 |
John Blangero, Ph.D., Director of the STDOI Genomics Computing Center, received the first grant awarded to STDOI at UTRGV, a $4 million award from the National Institute of Mental Health for a four-year project to search for genes influencing psychiatric disorders including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression. Other STDOI scientists working on the project include molecular geneticist Dr. Joanne Curran, statistical geneticist Dr. Laura Almasy, and bioinformatician Dr. Marcio Almeida. |
 |
STDOI celebrated its formation with Founding Dean Francisco Fernandez. |
