Cellular Immunology Metabolism Core

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ABSTRACT The Cellular Immunology and Metabolism Core (CIMC) of the LSU-Cancer Center was created in 2006 with the objective of providing flow cytometry support to Junior Principal Investigators (JPIs) funded during the Phase I COBRE “Mentoring Translational Researchers in Louisiana” (MTRL). During Phase II and Phase III, CIMC evolved to provide innovative technologies not only to COBRE- supported JPIs, but also to the LSUHSC investigators and to other users in our region. Since 2017, the CIMC has been partially supported by the Phase I COBRE “Center for Translational Viral Oncology (CTVO) and extensively used by CTVO JPIs. We will continue that support In Phase 2 CTVO and further expand our services for JPIs. Current CIMC laboratories, now, provide comprehensive analytic flow cytometry and high-speed cell sorting services and functional assays including mitogen-induced cell proliferation, cytokine production, cell death and survival, cell mediated cytotoxicity, effector T cell frequency, and the detection of immune mediators through multiplex approaches. During Phase I of the CTVO, CIMC expanded infrastructure and expertise to analysis of cellular metabolism, including oxygen consumption and acidification rates, and mitochondrial function in both normoxic and hypoxic environments. These additional CIMC services will now support the needs of CTVO Phase II JPIs in at least 3 Research Projects. This will allow for expansion of JPI expertise in identifying new biomarkers of virus-induced cancers and evaluation of cell growth and cell death responses associated with viral oncogenesis and the tumor microenvironment. In addition, innovative approaches, are continuously evolving in the CIMC personnel, and will be made available to JPIs and their mentors for developing new experimental strategies to explore virus-induced changes at the levels of tumor cell signaling, and tumor cell energy metabolism. These advanced technologies have positioned the CIMC as the leading laboratory in cancer and immunology in the region, resulting in increased users, including CTVO JPIs, as well as CIMC integration as a core laboratory for the LSUHSC School of Medicine, and LSU and Tulane Cancer Centers co-located in the Louisiana Cancer Research Center (LCRC).