Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute Incorporated

PIVOTS: PIVOTAL PATHWAYS AND INCLUSIVE ON-RAMPS TO CAREERS IN BIOMANUFACTURING -THIS PROJECT'S SIGNIFICANCE LIES IN ITS ABILITY TO PROVIDE SUPPORTIVE HANDS-ON, EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION IN THE LIFE SCIENCES AND BIOTECHNOLOGY FIELDS, PROVIDING ON-RAMPS TO UNDERSERVED AND UNDERREPRESENTED INDIVIDUALS PREVIOUSLY UNABLE TO ACCESS STEM OPPORTUNITIES, THUS ENABLING SUBSTANTIAL CAREER PIVOTS. THE ABILITY TO MEET THE GROWING DEMAND FOR BIOTECHNICIANS STRENGTHENS THE NATION?S POSITION AS THE GLOBAL BIO-ECONOMY LEADER AND POSES NATIONAL SECURITY RISKS. THROUGH A CERTIFICATE PROGRAM AND UPSKILLING COURSES WITH ROBUST SUPPORT SERVICES THAT ENABLE SUCCESS, THE PROJECT WILL INCREASE EMPLOYABILITY, WAGE POTENTIAL, AND CAREER GROWTH FOR UP TO 180 ADULTS OVER TWO YEARS. THIS SERVES THE NATIONAL INTEREST BY PROMOTING THE PROGRESS OF SCIENCE, ADVANCING, AND SUPPORTING EDUCATION AND DIVERSITY. THE PROJECT ALSO CONTRIBUTES TO THE ADVANCEMENT IN THE BIOTECHNOLOGY FIELD AND BENEFITS SOCIETY BY PRODUCING PROFESSIONALS FOR THE GROWING BIOMANUFACTURING INDUSTRY. ADDITIONALLY, THE PROJECT FOSTERS A MORE INCLUSIVE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY AND PROVIDES AN EXAMPLE OF INNOVATIVE, HANDS-ON LEARNING FOR THE ADULT VOCATIONAL LEARNER. IT ESTABLISHES A FRAMEWORK FOR CLOSING A WORKFORCE GAP WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY ADDRESSING SOCIETAL GOALS OF PROMOTING EQUITY AND INCREASING ACCESS FOR DIVERSE LEARNERS. GLOUCESTER MARINE GENOMICS INSTITUTE (GMGI), A 501C3 NON-PROFIT FOUNDED IN 2013, ADDRESSES CRITICAL CHALLENGES FACING OUR OCEANS, HUMAN HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT THROUGH INNOVATIVE SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND EDUCATION. GMGI OPERATES THE GLOUCESTER BIOTECHNOLOGY ACADEMY, WHOSE 10-MONTH BIOTECHNOLOGY CERTIFICATE PROGRAM COMBINES HANDS-ON CLASSROOM AND LABORATORY TRAINING WITH PAID INTERNSHIPS. GMGI PREPARES ADULTS WITH NO PRIOR MATHEMATICS OR SCIENCE EXPERIENCE WHO ARE STRUGGLING TO CONNECT WITH COLLEGE AND CAREER, TO PIVOT INTO ROLES AS LABORATORY TECHNICIANS IN LIFE SCIENCE AND BIOTECHNOLOGY FIELDS. GMGI?S PROPRIETARY CURRICULUM ALLOWS PARTICIPANTS TO MASTER STANDARD LAB PRACTICES AND FUNDAMENTAL MOLECULAR BIOLOGY TECHNIQUES INCLUDING DNA EXTRACTION, AMPLIFICATION AND SEQUENCING. A BIOMANUFACTURING WORKFLOW FOLLOWS AND PARTICIPANTS PREPARE SOLUTIONS, MEDIA AND PLATES FOR GROWING CELLS, ENGINEER BACTERIAL CELLS TO PRODUCE PROTEINS OF INTEREST, GENERATE CELL BANKS AND CONFIRM PRODUCTIVITY, DEMONSTRATE PROFICIENCY IN BATCHING, SAMPLING AND DECONTAMINATING FERMENTATION PROCESSES, PRACTICE UPSTREAM AND DOWNSTREAM PROCESSING AND PURIFICATION, AND INCORPORATE PROCESS ANALYTICAL TECHNOLOGIES TO MONITOR MAMMALIAN CELL CULTURES IN SINGLE-USE BIOREACTORS. STUDENTS LEARN ON INDUSTRY-RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT INCLUDING THERMOCYCLERS, UV-VIS PLATE READERS, NANODROP/QUBIT INSTRUMENTS, ELECTROPHORESIS GEL CHAMBERS, DNA SEQUENCERS, BIOFLO FERMENTERS, CELLIGEN CLU SINGLE-USE BIOREACTIONS, AKTA PURE COLUMN CHROMATOGRAPHY, AND ADDITIONAL TOOLS. IN ADDITION TO TECHNICAL COURSEWORK, STUDENTS COMPLETE A CAREER SKILLS CURRICULUM PREPARING THEM FOR THE JOB SEARCH AND PROFESSIONAL LABORATORY ENVIRONMENT. THIS PROJECT WILL INCREASE OUTREACH TO MOVE DIVERSE AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES AND INCLUDES ROBUST WRAP-AROUND SERVICES FOR ADULT VOCATIONAL LEARNERS INCLUDING STIPENDS, CHILDCARE AND HOUSING VOUCHERS, TECHNOLOGY AND TRANSPORTATION, DEIA TRAINING, AS WELL AS RESOURCES FOR MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES. THE COMPREHENSIVE CURRICULUM TAUGHT BY INDUSTRY EXPERTS AND EXPERIENCED EDUCATORS BREAKS BARRIERS AND WILL BE A MODEL TO ENABLE EXPANSION AND SCALABILITY, THEREBY CLOSING IMPORTANT WORKFORCE GAPS IN THE ADVANCED MANUFACTURING FIELDS. OUTCOMES WILL BE THOUGHTFULLY CAPTURED, MONITORED, AND SHARED BROADLY THROUGH CONFERENCES AND PUBLICATIONS ACROSS RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND INDUSTRY. THIS PROJECT ALIGNS WITH THE NSF EXLENT PROGRAM, FUNDED BY THE NSF TIP AND EDU DIRECTORATES, AS IT SEEKS TO SUPPORT EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR INDIVIDUALS FROM DIVERSE PROFESSIONAL AND EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUNDS TO INCREASE THEIR INTEREST IN, AND THEIR ACCESS TO, CAREER PATHWAYS IN EMERGING TECHNOLOGY FIELDS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

THIS PROJECT SEEKS TO IMPLEMENT A MOLECULAR TOOLBOX TO ENHANCE EXISTING MONITORING EFFORTS FOR PSEUDO-NITZSCHIA THROUGH THE FOLLOWING OBJECTIVES: OBJECTIVE 1. IDENTIFY TOP-PERFORMING ASSAYS FOR EVALUATING PSEUDO-NITZSCHIA AND TOXIN THREAT IN FIELD SAMPLES COLLECTED BY STATES WITH EMERGENT DA CONCERNS (ME, NH, MA, FL). OBJECTIVE 2. EVALUATE TOP-PERFORMING ASSAYS FOR THEIR ABILITY TO BE SIMPLIFIED FOR END-USERS. OBJECTIVE 3. INTEGRATE THE MOLECULAR TOOLBOX FOR RAPID PSEUDO-NITZSCHIA SPECIES DETECTION ALONGSIDE CONCURRENT STATE MONITORING EFFORTS. TO ACCOMPLISH OBJECTIVE 1, MOLECULAR ASSAYS ALREADY DEVELOPED BY INVESTIGATORS FOR TARGETING TOXIC PSEUDO-NITZSCHIA SPP. WILL BE RIGOROUSLY TESTED WITH FIELD SAMPLES COLLECTED WITHIN THE REGION TO EVALUATE DIAGNOSTIC ACCURACY, CELL ABUNDANCE ACCURACY, AND TOXIN THREAT POTENTIAL ACCURACY. EACH ASSAY WILL BE RANKED, AND TOP-PERFORMING ASSAYS WILL BE SUBSEQUENTLY EVALUATED FOR THEIR ABILITY TO BE SIMPLIFIED INTO A FIELD-DEPLOYABLE FORMAT (OBJECTIV

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: EDGE FGT: IN VIVO AND IN VITRO TOOLS FOR THE COMMUNITY OF ECHINODERM RESEARCHERS -EVERYTHING IN BIOLOGY IS CONNECTED. OUR JOB AS LIFE SCIENTISTS IS TO REVEAL IMPORTANT BIOLOGICAL PROPERTIES IN THE MOST IMPACTFUL, EFFICIENT, AND ECONOMICAL WAY. TO DO SO WE LOOK FOR MODEL ORGANISMS THAT ARE PARTICULARLY TRACTABLE FOR STUDYING COMPLEX BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES AND THEN APPLY WHAT WE LEARN TO BETTER UNDERSTAND OTHER ORGANISMS. FOR MORE THAN A CENTURY, SEA URCHINS HAVE PROVIDED A VALUABLE RESEARCH MODEL THAT HAS CONTRIBUTED SIGNIFICANTLY TO OUR UNDERSTANDING OF MANY FUNDAMENTAL BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES SUCH AS FERTILIZATION, EMBRYONIC DEVELOPMENT, AND CELL DIVISION. SEA URCHINS HAVE PROVEN TO BE A VALUABLE MODEL DUE TO THEIR CLOSE GENETIC RELATIONSHIP TO VERTEBRATE ANIMALS AND MANY FEATURES THAT MAKE EXPERIMENTATION EASIER. THE GOAL OF THIS PROPOSAL IS TO CREATE THE NEXT GENERATION OF TOOLS TO ENHANCE THE UTILITY OF SEA URCHINS AS RESEARCH MODELS THAT WILL ENABLE NEW AREAS OF RESEARCH AND TO MAKE THESE TOOLS WIDELY AVAILABLE TO THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY. AREAS OF BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH TO BE ENHANCED BY THE TOOLS CREATED FROM THIS PROPOSAL INCLUDE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF HOW EGGS AND SPERM INTERACT AT FERTILIZATION, UNDERSTANDING THE RULES OF EMBRYO DEVELOPMENT, HOW NERVE CELLS ARE MADE, HOW SEX IS DETERMINED, HOW ANIMALS PROTECT THEMSELVES FROM ENVIRONMENTAL INSULTS AND FROM INFECTION, AND HOW TISSUES AND ORGANS CAN REGENERATE WHEN THEY ARE DAMAGED. THE OUTCOMES OF THIS PROPOSAL WILL REACH FAR BEYOND THE SCIENTISTS, TO THE PUBLIC, STUDENTS AND TEACHERS AND MAKE THE SEA URCHIN A HIGHLY ATTRACTIVE AND IMPACTFUL RESEARCH AND EDUCATION TOOL OF THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY. SEA URCHIN RESEARCHERS HAVE LONG SOUGHT TO LEVERAGE THE EXPERIMENTAL TRACTABILITY OF THE EMBRYO AND ADULT WITH GENETIC APPROACHES BUT, TO DATE, MANIPULATIONS HAVE BEEN LIMITED LARGELY TO DEPENDENCE ON MORPHOLINOS OR PHARMACOLOGY. THE OVERARCHING GOAL OF THIS EDGE PROPOSAL IS TO BUILD TOOLS THAT OVERCOME MAJOR OBSTACLES TO TESTING GENE FUNCTIONALITY IN ECHINODERMS, OPENING UP A NEW ERA OF DISCOVERY FOR DIVERSE AND INTEGRATED STUDIES ACROSS ALL LIFE HISTORY STAGES OF THIS VALUABLE SISTER GROUP TO CHORDATES. THIS GOAL WILL BE REALIZED AS FOLLOWS: (1) SIMPLE AND EFFICIENT PROTOCOLS FOR CULTURING CELLS FROM EMBRYOS TO INVESTIGATE GENE FUNCTION IN VITRO; (2) RAPID, SCALABLE DNA TRANSFECTION OF EMBRYOS, ADULT TISSUES, AND CELL CULTURES FOR CONDITIONAL, AND REVERSIBLE GENE CONTROL; (3) TECHNIQUES TO PROMOTE STANDARDIZATION OF SEA URCHIN HUSBANDRY WITH OPEN HARDWARE AND CRYOPRESERVATION FOR SEA URCHIN GERMPLASM AND CELL LINES; (4) VIRTUAL, INTERACTIVE EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS TO REACH SECONDARY SCHOOL AND UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS AND INVESTIGATORS LEARNING FROM AND EVEN CONSIDERING ENTERING THIS RESEARCH COMMUNITY. THESE INTEGRATED NEW TECHNOLOGIES WITH CONTROLLED AND HERITABLE GENETIC MANIPULATIONS AND THE ABILITY TO TEST GENE FUNCTION AND REGULATION IN IN VITRO CELL-BASED SYSTEMS WILL ENABLE NEW AVENUES OF INVESTIGATION THAT FULLY EXPLOIT THE IMPORTANT PROPERTIES OF ECHINODERMS AS A RESEARCH ORGANISM. THE TOOLS DEVELOPED IN THIS PROPOSAL WILL REMOVE THE BOTTLENECKS AND PROVIDE SCALABLE AND SUSTAINABLE RESOURCES FOR THE COMMUNITY OF ECHINODERM RESEARCHERS. THE PROPOSAL WAS FUNDED BY THE ENABLING DISCOVERY THROUGH GENOMICS (EDGE) PROGRAM AND THE DEVELOPMENTAL SYSTEMS CLUSTER IN THE DIVISION OF INTEGRATIVE ORGANISMAL SYSTEMS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

THE AMERICAN LOBSTER IS THE MOST VALUABLE FISHERY IN THE U.S. AND REPRESENTS A FISHERY THAT HAS SHOWN A HISTORY OF INCONSISTENT BIOLOGICAL STOCK DEFINITION AND CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS. THE PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT IS TO CONDUCT A GENOMIC POPULATION STRUCTURE EVALUATION ON AMERICAN LOBSTERS COLLECTED THROUGHOUT THE GULF OF MAINE, GEORGES BANK, AND SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND TO ESTABLISH BIOLOGICALLY ACCURATE STOCK BOUNDARIES. PROJECT ACTIVITIES WILL INCLUDE 1) ASSEMBLING AN IMPROVED LOBSTER GENOME, 2) COLLABORATING WITH COMMERCIAL LOBSTERMEN AND REGIONAL LOBSTER BIOLOGISTS TO COLLECT A TOTAL OF 550 LOBSTER TISSUE SAMPLES FROM 21 LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT NEW ENGLAND AND ONE CANADIAN LOCATION, 3) ASSESSING THE LOBSTER GENETIC POPULATION STRUCTURE AND RESPONSES TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS RECORDED IN THE GENOME, 4) SHARING RESULTS WITH THE ATLANTIC STATES MARINE FISHERIES COMMISSIONS AMERICAN LOBSTER TECHNICAL COMMITTEE AND SOLICITING FEEDBACK TO IMPROVE STOCK BOUNDARIES AND MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES. PROJECT OUTCOMES WILL INCLUDE AN IMPROVED LOBSTER GENOME ASSEMBLY, HIGH-QUALITY GENETIC POPULATION STRUCTURE DATA FOR LOBSTER IN NEW ENGLAND, AND A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF HOW LOBSTERS ARE ADAPTING TO SHIFTING ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS. PROJECT RESULTS WILL AID IN FUTURE INVESTIGATIONS OF LOBSTER BIOLOGY AND CONTRIBUTE TO THE SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF LOBSTER FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE FISHING INDUSTRY, RESEARCHERS, AND THE PUBLIC.

ACCURATE, SENSITIVE, AND RAPID ANIMAL DIAGNOSTICS WITH CRISPR BASED MOLECULAR DETECTION

** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** ECONOMIC CHALLENGES IMPOSED BY CLIMATE CHANGE AND DISEASE ON THE AQUACULTURE INDUSTRY NECESSITATE ADVANCES FOR IMPROVED ANIMAL WELFARE AND RESILIENCY. BIOMARKERS ASSOCIATED WITH ENVIRONMENTAL AND DISEASE RESILIENCE TRAITS CAN BE LEVERAGED IN BREEDING AND MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES. HOWEVER, THEIR DISCOVERY HAS BEEN LIMITED IN PART BY THE COMPLEXITY OF MOLECULAR SYSTEMS AND THE COST OF GENOMICS TOOLS USED TO UNDERSTAND THEM. ADVANCES IN COMPUTATIONAL APPROACHES INCLUDING MACHINE LEARNING ALGORITHMS, TOGETHER WITH THE WEALTH OF GENOMIC DATA THAT HAS AMASSED, ENABLE POWERFUL META-ANALYSES FOR IMPROVED BIOMARKER DISCOVERY IN AQUACULTURE SPECIES. THE PROPOSED PROJECT AIMS TO ADVANCE THE DISCOVERY AND CHARACTERIZATION OF BIOMARKERS THROUGH MINING PUBLICLY AVAILABLE SHELLFISH GENOMIC DATASETS FROM RESILIENT POPULATIONS. THE OBJECTIVES ARE TO 1) DEVELOP STANDARDIZED OPEN-ACCESS, USER-FRIENDLY, REPRODUCIBLE BIOINFORMATICS PIPELINES FOR RESILIENCE BIOMARKER DISCOVERY THROUGH SYSTEMATIC REANALYSIS, DATA INTEGRATION AND META-ANALYSIS AND 2) BUILD A USER-FRIENDLY OPEN-ACCESS COMPREHENSIVE DATABASE OF CANDIDATE RESILIENCE BIOMARKERS THAT IS WIDELY AVAILABLE FOR USE BY THE AQUACULTURE COMMUNITY. THE RESULTING DATABASE WILL ENABLE IMPROVED MOLECULAR TOOL DEVELOPMENT FOR MORE EFFICIENT PHENOTYPE SELECTION AND HEALTH MONITORING, RELEVANT TO THE AFRI ANIMAL GENOMICS PROGRAM AREA PRIORITY GOAL OF INCREASING ANIMAL FITNESS AND IMPROVING ANIMAL WELFARE AS WELL AS THE PRIORITY OF IMPLEMENTING SELECTION METHODS THAT USE A SYSTEMS BIOLOGY APPROACH FOR SIMULTANEOUS IMPROVEMENT OF MULTIPLE TRAITS.