CORE--CELL SCIENCE/FACS FACILITY

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Description: (Taken directly from the application) A large number of diabetes-related research investigators at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center depend upon the use of cell culture and associated techniques. The Cell Science Core (CSC) Facility satisfies the needs of investigators by providing services in four major areas: 1) a variety of routine cell culture services; 2) a DERC cell bank has been established to provide participants with a variety of cell lines for their work; 3) a number of specialized immune cell culture services, including lymphocyte separation, and stimulation and production of monoclonal antibodies; and 4) cell sorting in our fluorescence activated cell sorters (FACS) Facility equipped with an FACSCAN, FACSCalibur and a Dual Laser FACSTAR Plus, and triple beam FACS Vantage. The CSC is located within the reconstructed and equipped interdepartmental laboratory complex provided by the Medical Center, and diabetes-related research is a significant component of its activity. Facilities include separate rooms for cell culture, each of which is equipped with C02 tissue culture incubators and laminar flow hoods. A central laboratory area contains a programmed cell freezer, centrifuges, liquid nitrogen refrigerators for cell storage, and equipment for preparation of culture media. Fluorescence activated cell sorters are located in two separate, specially constructed rooms. Tissue culture services include media preparation and sterility testing, preparation of primary cultures, maintenance and distribution of continuous cell lines, and cryopreservation of cells. The FACS facility is used for quantitatively analyzing and separating cells. This Core enhances the productivity of diabetes research by: a) providing services not available in individual laboratories; b) allowing investigators to focus on their particular projects without the need to develop cell banks, cell sorting capabilities, and other facilities in their own laboratories; and c) by encouraging interactions between investigators who share the resources of this Core facility.