MIF timeline.

1998. Former UWBC Associate Director Brian Kay conceives the idea for a campus yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) facility.

1999. The facility, modeled on a similar version at Glaxo-Wellcome (now GlaxoSmithKline; Research Triangle, NC), adds staff in June and begins to obtain and array libraries.

2000. MIF staff conduct pilot screens in a semi-automated high-throughput format with newly arrayed libraries.

2001. MIF opens to serve clients in February with yeast genomic and human cDNA libraries. Key equipment is obtained through a DoD instrumentation grant in the spring.

2002. MIF adds libraries representing Drosophila, C. elegans, Arabidopsis, mouse and two parasites (Toxoplasma gondii and Trypanosome brucei). Most of these libraries are made in-house.

2003. MIF integrates a sophisticated Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) called "RUKH" that improves sample-tracking and streamlines the screening process (learn more about RUKH and the SESAME project at http://sesame.wisc.edu/).

2004. In collaboration with James Thomson's lab, MIF adds a human embryonic stem cell library (huES).

2005. MIF begins a collaboration with Arabidopsis researchers Jeff Harper and John Cushman to develop antibody libraries in a Y2H vector that can be screened with baits to isolate antibodies. Unable to get access to human single chain variable fragment (scFv) libraries from other investigators because of licensing concerns, MIF begins preparing a new human scFv library in-house.

2006. MIF pursues additional funding to expand the human scFv library and conduct more pilot screens. First-time applications are not funded.

2007. The decision is made to close MIF.

MIF's advisory committee (since October, 2005):
F. Michael Hoffmann, Oncology, Genetics
John Markley, Biochemistry
John Svaren, Comparative Biosciences

For more information:

About billing info, PO numbers, etc.

carol@biotech.wisc.edu
Financial Specialist
University of Wisconsin
Biotechnology Center
425 Henry Mall
Madison WI 53706
fax (608) 262-6748