Analytical Instrumentation Core

Cores Equipment Scheduler	Mission	Contact	Location
How to Use	Charge table	Core Supporting Letter	Refurbished Instruments Link
Core Seminar	IHC Core Facility	Advisory Committee

NEWS:

New phone line and Emergency Contact info for the Core!

A. How to use the Core:

Cores Equipment Scheduler

Register online in the BU Core Administration with information for both yourself and the PI, including account number (BU: grant#; BMC: PO#)
Receive an approval e-mail from the Core administrator with your password and account code
Contact the Core Director or the facility/instrument Managers for training and building access.
Scheduling the use of the following instruments on-line on the Cores Equipment Scheduler with your password and the account code
Use the instrument, remembering to follow all the lab-safety procedures, be considerate to the researchers next to the Core benches, and clean the area after each use.

Please use the instrument during the time frame you registered for so you do not tie up the instrument for other who wish to use it after you
Cancelation policy: The charge can be waived if cancel the use 24 hour prior the scheduling time
Consult the charge table for rates

To gain ID access to labs holding the Core equipment, email Lynn Deng, define the instruments you wish to use and location and provide contact information including:

full name
BU ID#
position
PI name
lab location
affiliation (department and section)

B. Mission of the Core:

The objective of the Analytical Instrumentation Core is to provide support to investigators through cutting-edge analytical instruments to facilitate research and education in the Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine as well as Boston Medical Center.

The mission of the Analytical Instrumentation Core is as follows:

Maintain core instruments
Train investigators to use equipment and to help design experiments
Share the resources and increase accessibility of instruments for investigators
Introduce innovative analytical instrumentation by regular seminars
Support investigators in their efforts to win extramural research funding

C. Contact

Lynn Lingyi Deng, Ph.D., Director
617-638-6920 office
617-638-7124 fax

Keri LaBelle, Research Assistant, Lab Safety Coordinator
617-414-2964 Central Lab

Maria LoSordo
Core Administrator
617-638-6957 office

Core Help

Richard A Cohen, M.D.
Chair of Core Advisory Committee

Emergency Contact for Instruments:

Call Lynn Deng or Keri LaBelle. If no answer please email either lynndeng@bu.edu or klabelle@bu.edu

Leave your name, instrument you are working with, and problem and we will get back to you ASAP. Thank you!

D. Location

Center Location (with other satellite sites in W-, X-, E-, and R-buildings, X- or Evans Biomedical Research Center): 670 Albany Street, Lab 251, Boston, MA 02118

E. Members of the Advisory Committee, 2009-2010

F. The current Core Seminar or Training Session

Coming soon.

G. Core supporting letter (draft) for PIs applying for research grants

H. IHC Core Facility

LAB MANAGER:
Xuemei Zhong
Email: Xuemei.zhong03@gmail.com
Office: 617-638-7028

LAB TECHNICIAN:
Nathalie Bitar
Email: natbitar@gmail.com
Lab: 617-638-2499

I. Instruments/Services

Use of the devices/equipment in this core is by request and organized by an online scheduling program

Liquid Scintillation Counter NEW!!

DOM Location: 650 Albany St, X-740

Instrument Manager: Deborah A. Siwik, Ph.D

The LabLogic 300SL Liquid Scintillation Counter is the most advanced, transportable and user-friendly LSC available to count beta particles such as H³, C¹⁴, P³², S³⁵ and others isotopes.

The new LabLogic 300SL LSC with TDCR Technology employs Triple to Double Coincidence Ratio (TDCR) counting by three highly sensitive PMT’s and enables easy determination of sample counting efficiency, providing instant DPM results without the need for any internal or external standards. The counter is controlled from an external PC with an easy-to-use, yet sophisticated software program.

Biosafety caution: The users or users’ PI must have BU radioactivity permit and will bring mini-vials (7mL) or standard 20 mL LSC vials in secondary containment such as a spill tray with spill mat on a push cart or in a sealed container.

Two charge rates will be applied:

1. Short runs during daytime $10/15 min (8 am – 5 pm)

2. Slow long runs or large quantity samples overnight $15/3 hrs (5 pm – next day 8 am)

NanoQuant Multimode Microplate Reader

DOM Location: 670 Albany St R251

Instrument Manager: Keri LaBelle (temporarily)

The Infinite 200 PRO NanoQuant by Tecan was developed specifically for absorbance applications (UV to NIR spectral range) with small sample size. It functions similarly as the NanoDrop UV/VIS, detecting DNA concentrations as low as 1ng/ul, but with the capability to identify as many as 16 trace samples simultaneously with the NanoQuant quartz plate (provided).

7900 HT Fast Real-Time PCR

DOM Location: 670 Albany St, R251

Instrument Manager: Keri LaBelle

The 7900 HT Fast Real-Time PCR system by Applied Biosystems is a high-throughput real-time PCR system that detects and quantitates nucleic acid sequences with the capabilities to run a 96- or 384-well plate, a fast PCR option to reduce run times (96-well fast plate =35 min, 384-well fast plate=55 min), and can detect as low as 10 starting copies of human genomic DNA.

*NOTE FOR 384 USE: Please contact instrument manager 24 hours in advance to make sure correct block is installed.

*Will offer full-service analysis in the near future*

Real Time PCR Systems (two sets)

DOM locations:

X840 with instrument manager Parthiban Rajasekaran, Ph.D

W624 with instrument manager Ann Marie Quito

The StepOne™ Real-Time PCR System made by Applied Biosystems is the latest entry-level real-time PCR instrument used to amplify and quantify a targeted DNA or RNA molecule in a sample.

Immunohistochemistry (IHC) Core Facility

NEW!

DOM locations: X-Lab 430

Facility Manager: Xuemei Zhong, Ph.D. 617-638-7028

Nathalie Bitar

With an IntelliPATH FLX system, an automated slide stainer made by BioCare, our IHC core facility will assist investigators with process immuno-incubation and color development of tissue slides for immunolabeling.

With highly skilled professionals and cutting-edge automated instruments, this facility will assist BUMC researchers to prepare high qualityimmuno-labeled slides for further histological investigation.

Click here for sample preparation guidelines

Click here for a service request form

Luminescent Image Analyzer or Gel Imagers (3 sets)

DOM locations:

X 430 with instrument manager Isabel Dominguez, Ph.D.

E 650 with instrument manager Maria Ramirez, Ph.D.

X 840 with instrument manager Wei Qiu, MD

The LAS-4000 Luminescent Image Analyzer by FujiFilm captures images of agarose and polyacrylimide gels, Western blot, TLC and small animals. High sensitivity and resolution of in vivo imaging is also possible with small animals such as a mouse.

Nanodrop UV Visible Spectrophotometer

DOM Location: W619

Instrument Manager: Ling Zeng

The NanoDrop® ND-1000 UV-Vis Spectrophotometer is a new generation of spectrophotometer which enables highly accurate analyses of 1 ul samples for DNA,

RNA, protein, pigments, whole uv-visible (220-700nm) spectrum and cell density tests with remarkable reproducibility.

Auto Blood Analyzer HEMAVET 950FS (Fast, Convenient Veterinary Cell Counter)

DOM Location: 670 Albany Street, Lab 251

Instrument Manager: Michael Boosalis, PhD

The HEMAVET 950FS can perform automated blood counts including; hemoglobin, hematocrit, white blood cells, platelets, differentials, and red blood cell indices for six animals. Parameters include: WBC, NE#, NE%, LY#, LY%, MO#, MO%, EO#, EO%, BA#, BA%, RBC, Hb, HCT, MCV, MCH, MCHC, RDW plus additional flagging for NRBC#, NRBC%, Platelet Count, MPV 3D cytograms : WBC subpopulations, RBCs, PLTs.

Microplate Reader-Infinite® M1000, Tecan

DOM Location: X-Lab 810

Instrument Manager: Jude Deeney, Ph.D

The Infinite® M1000 from TECAN is a high-end multimode Microplate Reader with premium Quad4 Monochromators. The Reader is capable of monitoring UV and visible absorbencies and fluorescence of the samples held in the 96, 396 and other microplates. In addition, the Infinite® M1000 Reader is able to detect the following:

Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)Time resolved fluorescence (TRF)
Fluorescence intensity top and bottom readingFlash luminescence
Glow luminescence
Dual color luminescence including filter for BRET1 & BRET 2 applications)
Kinetic studies

The flexibility, sensitivity and speed are features of this newly designed optical instrument.

Extracellular Flux Analyzer or Oxygen Analyzer

DOM Location: X-Lab 810

Instrument Manager: Sam Sereda

The XF24 Extracellular Flux Analyzer from Seahorse Bioscience Inc. measures the rate of change of currently dissolved oxygen and pH in the media immediately surrounding living cells cultured in a microplate. It is designed for cell metabolism, drug and regulator studies.

**The Charge for 2 plates has been set to $56. Please speak with Sam Sereda or Lynn Deng to arrange the pick up of the plates from the Central Lab**

2-Dimentional PAGE Apparatus, Bio-Rad

DOM Location: 670 Albany Ave., Lab232

Instrument Manager: Wen Guo, MD, PhD

1. PROTEAN IEF Cell

The PROTEAN IEF cell is used for running IPG strips or iso-electric focusing (IEF) polyachrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). The cell can be used to run multiple IEF strips, with temperature control (10–25°C) and gel developing systems.

The PROTEAN IEF cell is a key component of the Expression Proteomics line of products designed to meet the needs of high-throughput labs and occasional users for IEF PAGE.

2. PROTEAN II Gel Electrophoresis Apparatus

The PROTEAN II Apparatus can be used for proteins, DNA and carbohydrates separation either by native PAGE or SDS-PAGE applications with regular sized gels. PROTEAN II Apparatus can also be used for the 2nd dimension of the 2-dimentional PAGE (after IEF PAGE).

Primer Express Software v3.0

DOM location: 670 Albany Street, Lab 251

Instrument Manager: Lynn Lingyi Deng, PhD

The Primer ExpressR Software allows you to design your own primers and probes using TaqManR and SYBR Green I dye chemistries for gene quantitation and allelic discrimination (SNP) real-time PCR applications.