An off-campus Public Health Genetics and Genomics Laboratory will be available for use by faculty and students from Texas A&M University-San Antonio this fall and will be accessible to faculty and students on-campus by 2027.
Chairs of the department are authorized to utilize the laboratory, alongside TAMUSA students who have mentor approval.
Requests to use the facility will be screened by the Public Health Genetics and Genomics Group (PHGGG), as space is limited and resources are fixed.
“A major PHGGG activity is to serve the students interested in genetics and genomics of the diseases that are important to the south Texas community and beyond, including Type Two diabetes and obesity and their complications in adults and children,” said Ravindranath Duggirala, a professor of Public Health Genomics at A&M-San Antonio and member of the PHGGG.
Stephanie Delostrinos, Business Administrator for the Research and Health Science department, said the lab is currently open and being worked in, but resides at an off-campus location.
Currently, the PHGGG occupies suites 212, 215 and 251 at the San Antonio Technology Center, located in the Medical Center area.
Once the new Public Health and Education Building is completed on campus, the labs will relocate to their home at A&M-San Antonio.
“Due to the space limitations, our labs are temporarily located off campus,” said Vijay Golla, Vice Provost for Research and Health Sciences at A&M-San Antonio. “The labs will be relocated to the campus upon completion of the new Public Health and Education Building which broke ground on April 4, 2024. It is expected to be completed within three years.”
Golla said having this facility will act as an important breakthrough for the Southside of San Antonio.
“This lab lays the foundation for health science programs at TAMUSA,” Golla said.
The genomics lab will be the first of its kind at A&M-San Antonio and will be “focused on genetic epidemiology, molecular genetics, translational science and community engaged research.”
Some of the important research this facility wants to focus on is the environmental factors influencing conditions such as obesity, Type Two diabetes and the complications following these conditions.
“We believe that some of our students will be interested in the research areas regarding the genetic/genomic and environmental determinants of complex diseases such as Type Two diabetes and obesity and their complications in Mexican-Americans,” said Rector Arya, assistant professor of Public Health Genomics and member of the PHGGG. “Our team has expertise working with the San Antonio community for over 25 years focusing on large Mexican-American families, and it is important to have the labs on campus for students to have hands-on experience related to the diseases of utmost concern to our community.”
The PHGGG Faculty is made up of four Public Health Genomics faculty members — Donna M. Lehman, Srinivas Mummidi, Rector Arya and Ravindranath Duggirala.
For additional information regarding the new Genomics lab, contact Ravindranath Duggirala at rduggirala@tamusa.edu.
Amber Esparza and Spring De La Garza contributed to this story.
