The BBC provides bioinformatics and biostatistics support to the GMSR core laboratories (AMC and SMC) as well as to GMSR investigators. BBC activities can be divided into core activities and project-specific activities. Core activities are those activities that will benefit GMSR and GMSR investigators in general, and include: development of the Affymetrix and cDNA Spotted Microarray databases, development of bioinformatics tools for biological interpretations, statistical consultation on algorithms for low-level analysis (e.g., pre-processing and normalization), management and maintenance of the GMSR web site, educational activities (tutorials and workshops), and management of the Bioinformatics Suite. Project-specific activities include: consultation on experimental design, grant application assistance, data management and analysis of a specific data set. Project-specific activities are supported via chargeback system or FTE contribution from the individual grant applications.

If you would like further information, please visit our web site: www.ohsu.edu/gmsr/bbc or contact BBC Manager, Motomi Mori, Ph.D., at (503)402-2871 or morim@ohsu.edu.

1. Consultation Request. GMSR investigators who wish to request a statistical consultation must fill out the consultation request form available at http://www.ohsu.edu/gmsr/bbc/BBCconsult.shtml
   Please note: Work will not commence until BBC approval of consultation request form.
2. Confidentiality. All biomedical data submitted to the BBC for statistical analysis must be in a form to ensure the confidentiality of personal information. Such data should not contain any information that leads to identification of a person under study (e.g., name, social security number, etc). When human samples are involved, the investigators are solely responsible for obtaining appropriate IRB and DNA research approval. Please be prepared to submit your IRB number upon request.
3. Acknowledgement. The BBC assistance must be acknowledged in relevant scientific publications. This is necessary for reporting of the BBC activities to the internal and external funding agencies. Acknowledgement should mention the BBC support and grant number where appropriate. Below is an example of such acknowledgement: “Statistical support was provided by the Bioinformatics & Biostatistics Core of the Gene Microarray Shared Resource (grant number when applicable)”.
4. Co-authorship. Co-authorship should be considered where the bioinformatics or biostatistical component of a joint research effort is substantial, regardless of the project’s financial contributions to the BBC budget.
5. Bioinformatics Suite. The Bioinformatics Suite is located in Room E-204 of NWVACRC. Use of the Bioinformatcs Suite is limited to authorized BBC personnel, investigators and their designates who are performing microarray data analysis, and faculty, staff and students working on GMSR approved projects. Since the number of workstations in the Bioinformatics Suite is limited, we will prioritize users during busy hours, with the highest priority given to the investigators whose experiments are conducted by the GMSR. Appointments must be made to schedule time or training in the Suite.
6. Free Services. GMSR investigators have free access to the Bioinformatics Suite, assistance with experimental design (1 hour consultation), a brief on-site statistical consultation (<15 minutes in duration), GMSR sponsored educational workshops , and tutorials for MAS 5.0, STATISTICA, Omniviz, and other GMSR approved microarray analysis software packages.
7. Chargeback. The GMSR BBC provides in-depth data management, data analysis and grant preparation support on a fee-for-service basis. The costs of biostatistical consultation are calculated on the basis of the actual time spent on a specific project. The charge is $100 per hour. For those investigators who provide %FTE to the GMSR BBC, fees will not be charged for data management and analysis services.
8. Grant Application. Investigators planning to utilize the BBC for statistical support for their microarray research projects are required to budget a %FTE of BBC personnel in addition to any computing costs in their grant applications. This can be accomplished either by listing a biostatistician or bioinformaticist as a co-investigator in the grant application or by requesting biostatistical support from the BBC using the chargeback system. If the research project focuses on DNA microarray gene expression analysis, a rough guideline is 10-20% FTE for a Ph.D. level biostatistician and an additional 30-50% FTE for a master’s level biostatistician. For a small study involving 10-20 chips, we recommend a bioinformatics and biostatistics budget of $4,000-$8,000. The investigators are strongly encouraged to consult with the GMSR administrative staff and BBC personnel prior to estimating the %FTE and computing requirements for their projects.
9. Time Frame. A three-week notice is required for most standard requests on study design and data analysis. Expedited work required outside of the timeframe may incur additional charges.
10. Non-GMSR Studies. Investigators whose experiments are not performed by the GMSR will require approval of the Microarray Advisory Committee for access to BBC services, including use of the Bioinformatics Suite.