Overview of Services

The Texas Medical Center Digestive Diseases Center (DDC) is a federally funded center (NIH P30DK056338) designed to serve basic and clinical scientists at institutions within the Texas Medical Center (Baylor College of Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and the MD Anderson Cancer Center). Current DDC membership numbers 103 (62 full members and 41 associate members) with over $38 million annually in digestive diseases-related research funding. The center has particular strengths in the areas of gastrointestinal development, infection, and injury. Outreach and educational programs include a weekly seminar series, the GI Research Forum, and an annual Frontiers in Digestive Diseases Symposium. Pilot/Feasibility and Enrichment Programs to support innovative ideas and new investigators in Digestive Disease research and foster collaboration are a key part of our center.

Please Note:  All DDC core users must acknowledge the both the DDC as well as the Core in publications and grant applications, as follows:  
“This project was supported in part by PHS grant DK056338” and must comply with the NIH Public Access Policy, including use of PMCIDs for all publications after April 2008. 

For more information, go to http://publicaccess.nih.gov/submit_process.htm

To learn more about DDC membership, please click here.

Our DDC Cores

» Tissue Analysis & Molecular Imaging Core (TAMI)   

» Functional Genomics and Microbiome Core (FGM)   

» Gastrointestinal Experimental Model Systems Core (GEMS)    

» Study Design & Clinical Research Core (Clinical)   

The Tissue Analysis & Molecular Imaging Core (TAMI)

Services offered in TAMI: Tissue Analysis 

• Routine histology - processing/embedding, grossing samples, H&E, unstained sections, frozen block preparation, frozen sections
• Special stains - PAS, Oil Red O, Trichrome, Sirius Red, others by request
• Immunohistochemistry - IHC staining, Antibody Titration, Tunel staining (inSitu apoptosis)
• Immunofluorescence
• Training - histology techniques, antibody titration, IHC
• Electron microscopy - complete processing, scanning; sample prep (critical point drying), use of scope (assisted/unassisted), and immuno-electron microscopy

Contact Lab Manager: Pamela Parsons 

Services offered in TAMI: Molecular Imaging

• Transmission Electron microscopy, sample preparation, processing and instrument use
• Image Analysis Workstation
• Upright Brightfield and Epifluorescence Inverted Microscopes
• Confocal Microscope (live or fixed cells)
• Deconvolution Microscope (live or fixed cells)
• High Throughput Microscope (live or fixed cells)
• Consultation and technical advice to researchers interested in developing sophisticated procedures for their GI-related projects (assay development and microscopy). Technical Assistance/Training (instrument use, immunofluorescence and RNA in situ hybridization)
• Biomek NX Robot (tips and supplies not included)

Contact Technical Director: Fabio Stossi, Ph.D. 

TAMI Core Leadership:

Director – Jason Mills, M.D., Ph.D., 713-798-4951, jason.mills@bcm.edu

Co-Director - Michael Mancini, Ph.D., 713-798-8952, mancini@bcm.edu

Co-Director – Deborah Schady, Ph.D., 832-824-1836, schady@bcm.edu

Services offered at the Feigin Center:

• RNA/DNA/Protein Isolation
• Real Time Quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) Validation of Microarray Data
• Luminex Liquid Bead Arrays
• ELISA assays
• Universal Probe Library Requests
• Whole Genome Amplification
• Bioinformatics Analyses of Microarray Data

Contact Xinpu Chen

Services offered at the Genomics and RNA Profiling Core:

• Sample Quality Check
• Strategic Design of Gene Expression Profiling Experiments
• Microarray Assays
• Expression
• MicroRNA arrays
• mRNA arrays
• total RNA arrays
• Protein-DNA interaction
• Methylation
• aCGH
• Custom
• Amplification of Small RNA Samples from LCM/small sample
• Sequencing, Illumina
• DNA-seq
• RNA-seq
• ChIP-seq
• Custom-seq
• Targeted DNA-seq
• Targeted RNA-seq
• miRNA-seq
• Bisulfite-seq

Contact: MicroArray

For more information and to request service: https://www.bcm.edu/mcfweb/

Services offered at the Alkek Center for Metagenomics and Microbiome Research:

• Microbiome and Metagenomics
• RNA/DNA Isolation
• 16S rRNA gene profiling
• qPCR of targeted microbial taxa
• Whole Genome Shotgun (WGS) metagenomic sequencing
• Transcriptome (RNA-seq) profiling of bacterial communities
• Viral metagenomic sequencing
• Bioinformatics analyses of microbiome data

Contact: Joseph Petrosino

For more information and to request service: Alkek Center 

The Gastrointestinal Experimental Model Systems (GEMS) Core 

Human

Gastric
Duodenal
Jejunal
Ileal
Colonic

Murine

Balb/c small intestineC57BL6 small intestine

Core D also offers access to the Germ Free Core Facility. Please contact the CCM Technical Director, Stephanie Fowler at 713-798-6354 or swfowler@bcm.edu.

GEMS Core Leadership

Director - Sarah Blutt, Ph.D., 713-798-4833, Baylor College of Medicine, Room 335/922D, sb691007@bcm.edu

Co-Director - Mary K. Estes, Ph.D., 713-798-3585, Baylor College of Medicine, 9th Floor, Room 920E, mestes@bcm.edu

Co-Director - Margaret Conner, Ph.D., 713-798-3590, Baylor  College of Medicine, 9th Floor, margaret.conner@bcm.edu

Technical Director - Xi-Lei (Shelly) Zeng, 713-798-4445, Baylor College of Medicine, 9th Floor, xzeng@bcm.edu 

The Study Design and Clinical Research Core (Clinical)

The Clinical Core aims to promote the use of appropriate study design, statistical analyses, and interpretation for clinical and basic science investigators,  to assist these investigators in acquiring clinical specimens to facilitate their research, as well as to assist investigators in designing and performing translational and outcomes research. The primary goals of this Core include establishing procedures and providing assistance with:

• Study design, including study population identification, sample size and power estimates;
• Specimen collection and basic processing, including links to local, regional and national tissue banks;
• Outcomes research, including clinical epidemiology, pharmacoepidemiology and health economics;
• Data management, including design, development and maintenance of databases;
• Biostatistical analysis, including plans for IRB applications, pilot and feasibility grants, NIH proposals, and manuscripts;
• IRB filing logistics, included BRAIN (ESP1/ESP2), when appropriate.

Clinical Core Leadership

Director - Fasiha Kanwal M.D., kanwal@bcm.edu

Co-Director - David Graham, M.D., 713-795-0232, dgraham@bcm.edu

Manager - Antone Opekun, MS, PA-C, 713-798-0946, aopekun@bcm.edu

Biostatistician - Yan Liu, Ph.D., yliu3@bcm.edu

Links and Resources

1. Genomic and RNA Profiling Core
2. Alkek Center for Metagenomics and Microbiome Research
3. Texas Medical Center Digestive Diseases Center