Core Grants (NEI)

The primary objective of Core Grants for Vision Research is to provide groups of investigators who have achieved independent National Eye Institute (NEI) funding with additional, shared support to enhance their own and their institution’s capability for conducting vision research.

Secondary objectives of this program include facilitating collaborative studies and attracting other scientists to research on the visual system.

Core Grants are subdivided generally into discrete units or modules, with each devoted to a specific activity that would be impractical or less-efficient to support on an individual research project grant. The primary purpose of each module is to support a service or resource that enhances or facilitates the research efforts of a group of investigators, each having independent NEI funding. Some sharing of Core Grant resources and services with other NIH-funded collaborators and with investigators new to vision research is encouraged.

There are several modules currently supported by the CORE Grant: Gene Delivery, Microscopic Imaging, and Bioinformatics. These modules can be shared by various groups. The modules cooperate with one another, and they are also designed to introduce Vision Science researchers to some of the unique resources that are available on the UC Berkeley campus, including facilities in nanotechnology, fMRI, and other optical imaging resources. The contact information for each module is given below, along with links to more information about the purpose of each module.

Bioinformatics Module

The Bioinformatics Module with co-directors Karthik Shekhar and Karsten Gronert and a full time Data Analyst/Bioinformatics Specialist assist, advise and train researchers to 1) construct and maintain pipelines for standard preprocessing tasks of single-cell or bulk RNAseq or genomic data sets and large imaging or electrophysiology data sets, 2) carry out data normalization, batch correction, dimensionality reduction, clustering, visualization, and differential gene expression analysis, and 3) develop computational pipelines and maintain them in a common repository.

Bioinformatics

Gene Delivery Module

The main goal of this Module is to provide DNA constructs and viral vectors for expressing genes in tissues of the visual system, enabling precise molecular manipulation of proteins involved in visual function. The Gene Delivery Module is the only campus facility that provides viral vectors for introducing genes in vivo.

Gene Delivery

Microscopic Imaging Module

The Microscopic Imaging Module provides expert technical support for the design, assembly, modification, and use of light microscopic systems for vision research, as well as assistance in quantitative image analysis and automated image analysis.

Microscopic Imaging