Services
The Cytogenetics Core provides specialized cytogenetics-related services to investigators at Mayo Clinic and other institutions. Scientific applications of Cytogenetics Core services include:
- Characterizing the clonality of cell lines and tumors
- Ruling out interspecies cell culture contamination
- Determining the presence or absence of interspecies cells in xenograft or chimeric animal models
- Monitoring established cell lines to rule out contamination or other changes during cell culture
- Producing region-specific custom fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) probes that are used to enumerate copy numbers of cancer-related genes
- Determining the patterns of gene-related gains and losses
- Mapping the location of DNA sequences, genes or transgene insertions through sequential use of custom probes and several hybridization techniques, such as FISH
- OncoScan assay for archival formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples
The core's services can aid researchers in pinpointing genetic regions that are important for the development of specific diseases and malignancies. With the recognition that cancer is a genetic disease, many cancer researchers, including those in the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center, require access to Cytogenetics Core services.