To advance the scientific goals of the B2B, the Administrative Coordinating Center issues sub-awards to Core Facilities. Cores are necessary to support the science and to provide resources and services to multiple Research Centers. Some Cores provide essential services, such as a centralized biorepository that stores all PCGC blood and DNA samples, and each consortium has a centralized data hub to manage all clinical and genomic data. Other core facilities are used in an ad hoc fashion, as driven by the science, to perform sequencing, genotyping, and other scientific tasks.
Needs for Core services were identified by the PCGC and CvDC Steering Committees, then the NHLBI determined the Core configuration with input from the External Advisory Committee. Cores are phased in and out based on scientific need during the course of the funding cycle. In cases like the biorepository, the ACC released a Request for Proposals (RFP), and proposals were reviewed by NHLBI staff members and outside experts. Core Facilities can be located at Research Centers or at institutions or other entities outside of the B2B, depending upon expertise, performance, and cost.
During the third funding cycle of the B2B from August 2020 through July 2025, the complement of Core Facilities will be re-evaluated and likely will change based on the research projects proposed by successful applicants.
Current Core Facilities Include:
- PCGC Biorepository: Coriell Institute for Medical Research
- PCGC Data Hub: Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
- Human iPSCs Generation and CRISPR/cas: Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Brigham and Women’s Hospital
- Library Generation and Next-Generation Sequencing: Various Service Sites
- Candidate Gene Evaluation: Harvard University
- Confirmation Core: Columbia University