MIRCORE
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Mission Statement
Democratize Medical Research. To bring precision medicine a reality, we connect the public with doctors and scientists for the purpose of getting more patient-relevant research funded and accomplished. We educate high school students to connect the public and scientist now and to become citizen scientists or scientist leaders in the future.
About This Cause
Following a technology transfer from the University of Michigan, MIRCORE (microRNA core) a 501(c)(3) nonprofit was founded in 2009 in Ann Arbor, Michigan to advance science and medicine by focusing on microRNA biomarker discovery and development. We pursue personalized medicine through collaboration among scientists, doctors, and patients. With the next generation of lead and citizen scientists in mind, miRcore has been mentoring high school students who want to learn about bioscience and benefit the community since 2011. Our unique education approach includes challenging students to solve medical problems using publicly available patient data and various computational biology software. Following are our annual student activities: 1. Lab-on-Wheels program: exposing public high school students to quality one-day hands-on biotechnology experiments in collaboration with public high school teachers. We bring lab materials and trained group leaders to classrooms to develop positive attitudes toward STEM; we have taught about 4,700 freshmen in public high schools since launching this in 2016. 2. Summer camps for high school students: We hold Computational Biology, Biotechnology, and R Programming Research camps on the University of Michigan (U of M) campus, MI, on the Georgia Tech campus, and at Scripps in CA. The goal of the camps is to recruit talent to the miRcore volunteer program while providing real-life research experience to many. 3. Volunteer program (multi-year): We mentor high schoolers in computational biology research on weekends throughout the school year, advocating personalized medicine and fostering leadership. We recruit volunteers through our summer camps and Lab-on-Wheels program. In 2020-23 school year, we have 250 volunteers from 147 high schools. 4. GIDAS (guide-us: Genes In Diseases And Symptoms): a student club at high schools and the University of Michigan. We support miRcore volunteers (GIDAS leaders) to share what they have learned with peers at their schools. 5. Genes and Health Contest: promotes study in science among peers and recognizes hard work through enjoyable challenges and rewards. Regional GIDAS members gather to learn, compete, and participate in a talent show. 6. High School Research Conference: a significant event in our annual schedule which provides high schoolers a science conference setting to boost their familiarity with academic pursuits while raising community awareness on the conference theme (Director of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, NIH, Dr. Lindsey Criswell was the keynote speaker of the 2023 Annual Conference). 7. Mentor capable students in doing in-depth research. We have guided high school students in doing computational research, resulting in science fair winners, journal publications, and good scores in challenges for PhDs in computer science. 8. Microgrant fundraiser for specific research. In 2023, volunteers raised $7,000 from the community for a University of Michigan Type 1 diabetes research lab. 9. miRcore vaccine advocacy (MVA). In June 2021, we initiated MVA to teach young adults how to empathetically communicate with friends and family in sharing vaccine information to increase vaccination. 10. miRcore science advocacy (MSA). In September 2022, we expanded MVA to miRcore science advocacy for various science topics. 11. Citizen Scientist Sequencing Initiative (CSSI). "Your genome in your hands" is to enable individuals to own their genomics data without sharing with anyone including us and to learn to understand it. We successfully implemented the CSSI pilot in 2023 and the next step is in progress.