Adipose Tissue Core

脂肪组织核心的理由：NYONRC有一大批由NIH资助的调查人员，他们的专业知识和调查领域差异很大。对于这些研究人员中的许多人来说，确定脂肪组织的表型和功能对他们的研究至关重要。AT Core汇集了专业知识和设备，以提供全面的脂肪组织分析，否则NYONRC的个人研究人员将无法获得这些分析，或者这些分析的成本要高得多。一个例子是，在AT Core中，通过对许多脂肪组织切片进行组织学分析来确定脂肪细胞的大小，使用了带有自动分级系统的尼康光学显微镜、CD相机和软件，该软件可以识别和测量一个领域中每个脂肪细胞的大小。另一个例子是，AT Core为NYONRC调查人员执行的FACS分析需要为每种荧光标记抗体组合开发和验证协议，并维护两台昂贵的FACS机器。这些服务所需的设备由哥伦比亚大学购买。由于NYONRC利用哥伦比亚大学在设备上的投资，AT Core能够提供NYONRC调查人员无法获得的服务，或者明显更昂贵的服务。

Rationale for Adipose Tissue Core: The NYONRC has a large cadre of NIH-funded investigators who vary widely in their expertise and areas of investigation. To many of these investigators, characterizing the phenotype and function of adipose tissue is critical for their studies. The AT Core brings together the expertise and equipment to provide comprehensive adipose tissue analysis, which would otherwise be unavailable or significantly more expensive for individual NYONRC investigators. One example is that in the AT Core the sizing of adipocytes through histologic analysis of many sections of adipose tissue employs a Nikon light microscope with an automated stage system, CD camera and software that identifies and measures the size of each individual adipocyte in a field. Another example is that FACS analyses that the AT Core performs for NYONRC investigators requires development and validation of protocols for each combination of fluorescently tagged antibodies and the maintenance of two expensive FACS machines. The equipment required for these services was purchased by Columbia University. Because the NYONRC leverages the investments in equipment made by Columbia University, the AT Core is able to provide services that would otherwise be unavailable to NYONRC investigators or significantly more expensive.