Mission

The Integrated Metabolic Tissue and Multiomics Analysis Core (IMTMAC) has been established to provide Stanford NORC investigators with access to high-quality clinical samples relevant to obesity and nutrition research, drawing on the established cores, data sets, and facilities at Stanford University.   This newly framed core will concurrently curate tissue and provide informatics tools for multiomic analysis and hypothesis building from these tissues.  The Core is directed by Dr. Walter Park overseeing all tissue core operations to ensure smooth functioning and access to tissue resources. This team includes support from Dr. Vivek Charu, a licensed pathologist with metabolism expertise; and Dr. Dan Azagury, a bariatric surgeon, who will provide an exceptional and growing set of tissue samples.   Additionally, Dr. Michael Snyder, as Associate Director, brings his exceptional expertise to the multiomics core through his pioneering work in functional genomics, multiomic analysis, and high-throughput technology. He will work with staff bioinformatics director, Dr. Ramesh Nair, and his staff. Dr. Nair is an expert in genomics technology, next-generation sequencing, and analysis of multiomics data.  A new addition will be the curation of a considerable number of patient samples, examining metabolic tissues under multiple nutritional protocols, with linked multiomic data.

     The IMTMAC fulfills a critical need for obesity and nutrition-related research at Stanford by facilitating access to high-quality human tissue samples, thereby increasing interdisciplinary collaboration, enhancing clinical research activities, and ensuring data integrity and efficiency. This core service is particularly valuable as it bridges the gap between pioneering researchers in cutting-edge technologies and clinical investigators, allowing both groups to utilize emerging methodologies. It ensures that clinical investigators can collaborate with basic scientists. By coupling this with a state-of-the-art informatics team, the generation of clinical hypotheses, the selection of appropriate samples, and a detailed strategy for analysis of human metabolic tissue will be possible.  Current projects include understanding the normal and disease variation in fat and understanding how nutritional strategies control obesity. The Specific Aims of Core 3 are (1): Establish a Comprehensive Metabolic Tissue Biorepository; (2) Develop Integrated Multiomics Analysis Capabilities; and (3)Enable Translational Hypothesis Generation and Precision Medicine Applications.  By addressing common challenges in sample management and data collection, the IMTMAC enhances the efficiency and success of clinical and translational research studies, making high-impact interdisciplinary research possible. The IMTMAC's integration into Stanford's advanced clinical and translational research infrastructure provides Stanford NORC members with an unparalleled resource, greatly facilitating innovative obesity and metabolism studies that surpass the capabilities of a single investigator or laboratory.