Project Details
Projekt
Quantitative Biology Center Tübingen (QBiC)
Applicant
Professor Dr. Oliver Kohlbacher
Subject Area
Bioinformatics and Theoretical Biology
Term
from 2012 to 2019
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 213896434
The major broad advance in life sciences over the past decade has been the move from the analysis of individual genes, transcripts and proteins to whole-genome, -transcriptome and -proteome studies. An important next step will be the integration of diverse data types collected at different levels of biological organization. Tübingen is particularly well situated to be in the vanguard of these efforts. The university's natural science and informatics campus, its medical school and the Max Planck campus not only bring together extensive expertise in data collection and data analysis, but also first-hand experience in driving basic research in the life sciences towards translational application. During the first funding period, we have established the Quantitative Biology Center (QBiC). The center is a central one-stop-shop for a broad range of omics technologies. By providing competence and consultancy on experimental design, on how to generate the data in a consistent manner, and assisting with the analysis of the resulting data, the center has changed the way in which high-throughput methods are currently being used by researchers from Tübingen and beyond. In its three years of existence and a bit over a year of full operation, the center has processed more than 3,000 samples in over 50 projects. The majority of these projects were initiated by smaller labs, in particularly those of junior researchers, who profit particularly from the service of QBiC. Within a future, second funding period of the DFG Core Facilities Initiative we plan to extend the development of QBiC in several important ways: 1) Expand the available technologies to include additional high-throughput technologies and a tighter integration of these technologies (multi-omics). 2) Foster open and reproducible omics studies through more user-friendly bioinformatics infrastructures and support for data deposition and processing documentation. 3) Empower our users by enabling them to analyze their data more independently and thus increase the efficiency of consulting efforts. The funding will ensure the continuing operation and further development of the center and provide crucial financial support in a phase where we transition from the conception phase to a sustainable, permanent business model.
DFG Programme
Research Grants
