CELL CULTURE AND HIGH-THROUGHPUT SCREENING CORE FACILITY

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This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. The Cell Culture and High Throughput Screening (HTS) Core Facility has vastly improved the biomedical research capabilities of this institution by providing easy access to equipment that is essential for in vitro studies of eukaryotic cells under a wide variety of conditions. Since the last review, this core facility has been expanded not only in size but also in equipment and new research capabilities. This expansion resulted in the creation of six cell culture rooms, additional cell storage capabilities, and the acquisition of cell sorting and HTS equipment. This core facility serves all the units of the BBRC and has also attracted faculty and students from various departments. The facility has also increased the number of collaborations between investigators, enhanced the training of student and staff, and has increased the productivity of the faculty. The core facility is essential for the support of research on the effects of toxicants on cells, cellular immune responses, studies on cell-pathogen interactions, and many other types of studies. This facility has recently been expanded to include a Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorter (FACS), a Flow Cytomere and a HTS Imaging Cytomer. The ability to separate cell populations by FACS will allow investigators to isolate and propagate specialized cell types and perform a wide variety of cellular assay that were not feasible in the past. The Analytical Flow Cytometer allows for the rapid analysis of populations of cells affected by a wide variety of treatments including analysis of cell death and differentiation. The HTS Imaging Cytometer incorporates confocal microscopy for the rapid analysis of high-content culture plates. Coupled with highly sophisticated imaging software, onboard incubation and a robotic plate delivery system, this multi-purpose equipment will be used to screen novel compounds and drugs with antiviral, anticancer and anti-microbial properties; thus enhancing the translational research capabilities of the BBRC. With continued RCMI funding, it is expected that these improvements in research infrastructure will result in a significant enhancement of the research capabilities of individual investigators.