The mission of the Transcription Factor Research Resource Center of the Beckman Institute is to develop, extend and invent new technologies for working with transcription factors, particularly on a very small scale.The innovative research that is carried out in the Center can be divided into two components: (I) affinity purification and micro sequencing of factors; (ii) computational models of transcriptional regulatory processes and the development of the sea urchin genome database. The Research Center also shares responsibility for the Genomic Technology Facility. The Facility and the Center are an integrated unit in which advanced technologies are applied to the molecular biology of gene regulation. The main research material used in the Center is sea urchin embryos; these provide enormous technical advantages for transcription factor research, as reviewed elsewhere on this Site.Requests for collaborative research focused on transcription regulation are welcome: please contact Cathy Yuh.