- Mercyhurst cut the ribbon Feb. 18 on a new state of-the-art DNA sequencing center designed to educate students and the public on the mysteries of biotechnology, genetic engineering and advances in DNA. The half-million-dollar science lab – the Orris C. Hirtzel and Beatrice Dewey Hirtzel DNA Sequencing Center on the frst foor of Zurn Hall – will ofer valuable hands-on learning experiences for Mercyhurst science students. Here are just a few ways Mercyhurst students expect to use the new equipment: • Mercyhurst faculty and student researchers have captured hundreds of deer ticks from Presque Isle State Park and will use DNA testing to identify what percentage of the ticks carry Lyme disease, a bacterial infection that can cause signifcant health problems in humans if left untreated. The goal, according to Sara Turner, Ph.D., is to consider mitigation strategies to help protect the estimated four million local residents and tourists who visit the park each year. • Mercyhurst opens new DNA sequencing lab By Deborah W. Morton - Researchers in the public health department plan to study Erie County soils for the presence of the disease causing parasite Toxoplasma gondii . Thomas B. Cook, Ph.D., said. “We are determining if the parasite is present in soils in and around Erie County and, if so, are there ways to prevent its spread into places of frequent human exposure (children’s playgrounds, beaches, etc.).” • A project led by Michael Foulk, Ph.D., will use DNA sequencing to monitor water quality in waterways around Erie County, including Lake Erie. Foulk and his students will collect water samples, sequence the genomes of all of the organisms in the samples, then identify and quantify the microorganisms present. Foulk will also study the DNA amplifcation in the fungus fy, Sciara coprophila , which may have applications in cancer research. • In forensic science, DNA sequencing is used to analyze evidence from a crime scene to provide a defnitive DNA fngerprint of a potential suspect. Mercyhurst’s center was built with the capability to function as a crime lab, and seeking certifcation is a future consideration. For now, forensics students will have the opportunity to work directly with equipment that they would expect to see in a professional capacity after they graduate. The lab will aford them “a great hands-on experience and an important addition to their résumé,” said Dennis Dirkmaat, Ph.D. In addition, the center is the impetus for a new major launching at Mercyhurst this fall – bioinformatics. By merging biology, computer science and information technology, bioinformatics combines mathematics and computers to gain a better understanding of biological processes and interpret genomic data. Plans for Mercyhurst’s new DNA lab began in 2013 when the university purchased an Illumina MiSeq DNA sequencing machine courtesy of a $125,000 grant from the George I. Alden Trust. More recently, Mercyhurst collaborated with the Lake Erie Research Institute in securing two additional grants: $150,000 from The Orris C. Hirtzel and Beatrice Dewey Hirtzel Memorial Foundation for an ABI DNA sequencer, and $10,000 from the Black Family Foundation through the Erie Community Foundation for additional supplies.
Orris C. Hirtzel & Beatrice Dewey Hirtzel DNA Sequencing Center
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