About Us
The Genomics Shared Resource, or GSR, has been in operation as a core facility since 2001. The GSR’s focus is to serve the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center. The GSR also caters to other researchers across UC Davis Health and the UC Davis research community, as well as other academic, government, and industry investigators. Each member of the GSR team contributes a complement of unique backgrounds and skills that synergize to provide comprehensive genomic analysis solutions.
John D McPherson, Ph.D. (Director)
Dr. McPherson is the Deputy Director of the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center and Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine. He has deep expertise in DNA sequencing and cancer genomics through his involvement in the Human Genome Project and large-scale tumor sequencing as a founding member of the International Cancer Genome Consortium. Within the ICGC, Dr. McPherson led the whole genome sequencing of >200 pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas using laser capture microdissected material. His current interests lie in bringing advanced genomic technologies to clinical application in personalized diagnosis and targeted therapeutics, in maximizing the data yield from small biopsies and circulating cell free DNA, and in the role of DNA repair in carcinogenesis.
Clifford Tepper, Ph.D. (Co-Director)
Dr. Tepper is a Research Biochemist in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine and has served as the technical director, and now Co-Director, of the GSR since 2002. He is a molecular and cellular biologist with extensive cancer research experience in signal transduction pathways, especially those associated with apoptosis, kinases and hormone receptors. At the GSR, he is responsible for assisting clients with experimental design and execution, primary/secondary data analysis, bioinformatics and developing novel scientific and bioinformatic methodologies. His role as Co-Director has synergized extremely well with his research program and has afforded him the opportunity to actively engage in the research programs of many investigators. Dr. Tepper runs the day-to-day scientific operations of the GSR and is available by appointment for consultation.
Ryan Davis, B.S. (Genomics Specialist)
Mr. Davis has been a key member of the GSR since 2002 during which time he has gained a wealth of expertise in genomics, molecular biology, and bioinformatics. He has become one of the leading experts in genomics technologies in Northern California and is well respected by senior consultants, field application scientists and regional representatives from Illumina, 10x Genomics, and NanoString. Mr. Davis also has extensive knowledge of computing and is highly skilled in the analysis of complex datasets. He is responsible for maintaining the GSR’s computer network, Linux-based computer cluster, and secure FTP server. Mr. Davis performs all of the NGS experiments and corresponding computational analyses. Notably, he has been instrumental in the development and launching of novel applications, such as capture Hi-C (CHi-C), single-cell RNA-Seq, and spatial transcriptomics. He is available by appointment for technical and logistical consultation.
Stephenie Liu, B.A. (Manager)
Ms. Liu has served as the GSR administrator since 2001. She is an experienced molecular biologist with considerable experience in the genomics field (e.g., sequencing, microarrays) having worked with the Human Genome Project on the sequencing team at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and then on cancer genomics and therapeutics projects at UC Davis for over 20 years. She has been fully trained by applications scientists on the Illumina NGS and NanoString Digital Spatial Profiling (DSP) platforms. Since 2002, she has provided administrative support in the management of the GSR, including purchasing, billing, cost analysis, website supervision, and grants and publication support.
Additionally, Ms. Liu performs provides support for development of the GSR’s educational programs and logistical support for large-scale projects, including logistics and database management. Ms. Liu continues to perform a variety of types of sample processing, including nucleic acid isolation and QC, GeoMs DSP slide processing, and library preparation. Ms. Liu is available to help clients with any administrative or billing needs and can also help to schedule consultation appointments.