Meharry Research Facilities for Advanced Genomics (MeRFAG)

About This Grant

Project Summary The proposed application aims to establish the “Meharry Research Facilities for Advanced Genomics” (MeRFAG) at Meharry Medical College (MMC), an Institution of Emerging Excellence (IEE) in the southern United States dedicated to educating healthcare professionals and biomedical scientists with a focus on addressing health disparities. The proposed MeRFAG will serve as a state-of-the-art research environment, attracting high-calibre committed genomics scientists, fostering cross-fertilization of ideas, innovation and interinstitutional collaboration to advance biomedical and translational research. MeRFAG will enhance MMC’s partnerships with academic and industry collaborators, including the genetics-focused Visiting Scientists Program with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt Sinai, NY, genomic studies through the Diaspora Human Genomics Institute (DHGI) incorporated by MMC, and the NHGRI-funded Center for Genome Research at MMC. It will also support the Together for CHANGE (T4C) initiative, a ten-year project to recruit 500,000 volunteers of African ancestry for a biobank to advance health studies. In keeping with demands for the diverse genomics workforce, T4C will also develop STEM mentoring pathways for capacity building, such as the DNA Learning Center in collaboration with Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and a Genetic Counseling Training Program. The T4C initiative governed by DHGI is funded by the Regeneron-led biopharmaceutical consortium. In keeping with demands for the diverse genomics workforce, T4C is developing STEM mentoring pathways for genomics capacity building. Additionally, MeRFAG will complement MMC’s partnership with the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to Accelerate Precision Health, which is recruiting faculty in MMC’s new department of Integrative Genomics to focus on clinical and basic genomics to address disease etiology and treatment. MeRFAG will also strengthen national programs like the Meharry- led Southeast Hub of NIH AIM-AHEAD program and the DoE-funded TSU-MMC-Fisk alliance, aimed at building competitiveness in diverse workforce. Approximately 17,898 sq ft of unused space will be renovated to house a cluster of eight research core facilities in the proposed MeRFAG with distinct capacities of a Biorepository, Digital Pathology, Transcriptomics, Pharmaco & Toxicogenomics, Microbial genomics, Mitochondrial genomics, Immunogenomics and Immune cell therapy, and Single Cell Sequencing and NGS. These facilities will enable a broad scope of cutting-edge genomics research addressing health disparities, reduce startup costs for new faculty, and attract high-caliber researchers. By integrating innovative research capabilities, MeRFAG will position MMC and middle-TN as a leader in genomics-driven healthcare research.