Multi-Omics Wayfinding
Personalized guidance for leveraging the advanced omics capabilities across the UMN.
The Center for Learning Health System Sciences is offering a wayfinding service to help researchers navigate the UMN's vast multi-omic ecosystem. The cutting edge technology and methods of modern systems biology and bioinformatics allow researchers an unprecedented opportunity to address complex patient disease and quality of life issues. Our wayfinding service is offered to democratize the ability of researchers to access the tools available at the UMN.
UMN Multi-Omics Core Facilities & Resource Hubs
We help researchers obtain services, access technology, and recieve training, across these 8 core facilities and research hubs (and others) that power multi-omic research across the University of Minnesota.
UMN Genomics Center (UMGC)
Evaluates and acquires emerging genomic technologies, providing fee-for-service high-throughput sequencing, single-cell analysis, and spatial genomic workflows.
10x Visium, Curio Seeker, NGS
University Imaging Centers (UIC)
Shared imaging facilities providing equipment and expert service for light/electron microscopy, high-plex spatial profiling, and slide scanning.
Bruker GeoMx, Bruker CosMx, Lunaphore COMET
Minnesota Supercomputing Institute (MSI)
High-performance computing infrastructure and expert research informatics support for cell segmentation, spatial analysis, and multi-omic data integration.
Bioinformatics, HPC Computing, Image Analysis
Center for Metabolomics & Proteomics (CMSP)
Specialized biological mass spectrometry core delivering quantitative proteomics, discovery metabolomics, and targeted molecular characterization.
Proteomics, Metabolomics, Mass Spectrometry
CTSI Histology & Digital Imaging Lab
Certified histotechnicians providing FFPE processing, OCT embedding, sectioning, IHC/IF staining, TMA construction, and slide preparation.
Sample Prep, Histology, Digital Imaging
University Flow Cytometry Resource (UFCR)
High-dimensional, multiparameter flow cytometry and cell sorting services for isolating single-cell populations prior to genomic profiling.
Cell Sorting, Spectral Cytometry, Immune Profiling
UMN Spatialomics Initiative
Virtual consortium connecting histology, imaging, genomics, and bioinformatics expertise across UMN to streamline complex multi-modal workflows.
Cross-Disciplinary, Spatial Genomics, Workflow Advice
Masonic Cancer Center Shared Resources
Integrated informatics, cancer genomics, proteogenomics, and biostatistical support for translational and clinical precision-medicine research.
Cancer Genomics, Proteogenomics, Clinical Analytics
Request a Consultation
Submit your request below to connect with our wayfinding service team. We will review your research needs and guide you to the appropriate UMN core facilities, technologies, and collaborators.
Demonstration of Wayfinding services: Mapping the Tumor Microenvironment
See how a hypothetical UMN oncology study successfully stitches together numerous UMN core facilities to execute a comprehensive spatial multi-omics pipeline—from raw clinical tissue to integrated bioinformatic discovery.
1) Tissue Acquisition & Preparation
CTSI Histology & Digital Imaging Lab
The research team began by submitting fresh frozen and FFPE solid tumor biopsies to the CTSI Histology core, where certified histotechnicians performed cryosectioning for fresh frozen samples, microtomy for FFPE blocks, and H&E staining for region-of-interest selection.
2) Single-Cell Isolation
University Flow Cytometry Resource (UFCR)
A subset of fresh tumor tissue was enzymatically dissociated and passed through UFCR’s spectral cell sorters. Researchers isolated rare immune cell populations (T-cells and macrophages) while filtering out dead cells and debris to ensure high-viability inputs for sequencing.
3) Spatial Transcriptomics & scRNA-seq
UMN Genomics Center (UMGC)
The sorted single cells were run on the 10x Genomics Chromium platform for single-cell RNA sequencing. Simultaneously, the corresponding tissue blocks from Step 1 were cryosectioned directly onto 10x Visium capture slides and were processed using the 10x Visium platform to capture spatially resolved transcriptomes across the tumor boundary.
4) High-Plex Spatial Proteomics
University Imaging Centers (UIC)
To validate the genomic findings at the protein level, consecutive tissue slices were analyzed at the UIC using the Lunaphore COMET platform, allowing the team to perform 40-plex immunofluorescence on a single slide to pinpoint structural immune checkpoints.
5) Data Integration & Bioinformatics
Minnesota Supercomputing Institute (MSI)
Finally, terabytes of sequencing data, spatial coordinates, and high-resolution images were routed to MSI. Using custom cell-segmentation and deconvolution pipelines, biostatisticians mapped the single-cell data back onto the physical tissue space to discover novel cell-to-cell interactions.