Most programs within the Stem Cell Institute use functional genomics as a method to characterize biological processes. Functional genomics is the branch of genetics that studies organisms’ full DNA sequences to determine the biological functions of genes and their products. In collaboration with investigators associated with the Biomedical Genome Center and investigators in the Bioinformatics Center, Stem Cell Institute faculty are developing novel approaches to evaluate the genetic changes associated with formation of hematopoietic stem cells (cells that form blood cells) and multipotent stem cells (stem cells that can form different kinds of tissue).