Office of Research Alliances

Core Facilities and Equipment

• DNA sequencing
• Microscopy and Imaging
• Fermentation, Protein Production, Structural Analysis
• NMR and X-Ray facilities
• Mass Spectrometry
• Bio-imaging, Bio-sensing, Flow cytometry, Real-time PCR, and High throughput screening
• Cell and DNA Biobank
• Stem Cells
• Biological Mass Spectrometry

DNA sequencing

http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~zylstra/core-overview.html

• 2 Applied Biosystems 3100 Automated DNA Sequencers, and high throughput sample preparation
• 4 Beckman Biomek 2000 and one Biomek FX workstations and includes plate readers (absorbance, fluorescence, and luminescence), a plate incubator, a plate shaker, and a carousel for microtitre plates.
•  Also available is a Genetix Q-Pix robot capable of picking 3,000 colonies per hour from petri dishes into microtitre plates. The Q-Pix can also be used to array colonies or DNA onto filters for hybridization experiments

http://genomics.rutgers.edu/

• Illumina GAIIx, complete with a paired-end module and a cBot for automated cluster generation, and an Applied Biosystems SOLiD 4 sequencer.
• Whole genome services including de novo genome assembly, whole genome resequencing, deep single nucleotide (SNP) discovery, transcriptome analysis, ChIP-seq, methylome discovery, small RNA detection, transcript abundance (SAGE)

Microscopy and Imaging

http://www.confocal.rutgers.edu/

• Leica TCS SP2 Confocal Microscopy Workstation
• Digital Instruments Bioscope Atomic Force Microscope
• Nikon Eclipse TE2000-S (epifluorescence)

http://www.flowcyt.rutgers.edu/index.html

• Beckman Coulter FC500 Analyzer
• BD FACSArray Bioanalyzer
• Beckman Coulter MoFlo XDP Cell Sorter
• Leica TCS SP5
• IVIS Imaging System
• Leica DMLB Fluorescent Microscope with Jenoptik Digital Camera

Fermentation, Protein Production, Structural Analysis

http://fermentation.rutgers.edu/index.htm

• cGLP and cGMP compliant
• Fermentation - Shake Flask to Bio-reactor,1.5 to 600L
• Downstream Processing: Filtration, Centrifugation, Ultra-filtration, Cell Distribution, Extraction/Precipitation
• Process Development/Optimization: BL2-LS.
• All equipment certified to NIST standards.
• An explosion-proof downstream processing room.
• Batch, semi-continuous or continuous mode of operation.
• Process control via PID algorithm based, cascade-capable, time and event based profiling.
• GC/MS Off-gas analysis.

NMR and X-Ray facilities

http://www-nmr.cabm.rutgers.edu/corefacility/index.htm  

• Robotic Vector Construction, Protein Production, 3D Structure Analysis, NMR, Crystallography, Homology Modeling
• 600 MHz Bruker
• 800 MHz Bruker
• 500 MHz Varian
• 600 MHz Varian

http://rutchem.rutgers.edu/nmr_facility   

• Varian VNMRS 300
• Varian VNMRS 400 MHz
• Varian VNMRS 500 MHz
• Varian VNMRS 600 MHz
• Varian VNMRS 800 MHz
• Bruker AvanceIII 600 MHz
• Bruker AvanceIII 700 MHz

Mass Spectrometry

http://rclr.rutgers.edu/Mass%20Spectrometry%20Core%20Facility.html  

• Dionex UltiMate 3000 liquid chromatograph connected to an Applied Biosystems 4000 Q Trap mass spectrometer, a hybrid triple quadrupole/linear ion trap instrument. 
• TurboIonSpray® (electrospray ionization, ESI)
• PhotoSpray® (atmospheric pressure photoionization, APPI) ion sources.
• Biacore 3000 SPR Biosensor

Bio-imaging, Bio-sensing, Flow cytometry, Real-time PCR, and High throughput screening

http://sebs.rutgers.edu/core-facility/

• Within the Bio-imaging application we offer a recently acquired Zeiss LSM 710 confocal microscope with seven lasers, and environmental chamber with CO2 and temperature control with a range from 4°C to 45°C. The Zeiss LSM 710 is housed in a separate microscopy suite. In addition, epifluorescent microscopy using Olympus microscopes capable of imaging a wide variety of dyes is available.
• Our Bio-sensing instrumentation includes two Biacore instruments, Biacore 3000 and T200, which utilize surface plasmon resonance technology allowing for label-free detection of macromolecular interactions.
• Flow cytometry is made easy with the recent purchase of the user-friendly Accuri C6 Flow Cytometer that uses two lasers, two scatter and four fluorescence detectors.
• Our real-time PCR instrumentation, StepOnePlus, comes from Applied Biosystems, the leader in real-time PCR. Our experienced staff can provide support in experimental design.
• High throughput screening applications are made possible with a Singer RoToR pinning robot that can dispense to and from solid or liquid media in 96- and 384-well formats with a throughput of up to 100 plates per hour and a BioTek Synergy™ 4 microplate reader for fluorescence Intensity, fluorescence polarization, time-resolved fluorescence, luminescence and uv-visible absorbance measurements.

Cell and DNA Biobank

http://www.rucdr.org/services.htm

1. Transformation of cryopreserved or fresh blood lymphocytes from fresh blood to produce lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs)
2. Large-scale growth of lymphocyte or other cell lines for DNA/RNA extraction and/or cryopreservation.
3. Extraction of high molecular weight, PCR-amplifiable DNA from blood, cultured cells, or tissue samples.
4. Separation and storage of plasma or other biomaterials from whole blood.
5. Whole genome DNA amplification
6. Shipment of biomaterials (cell lines and nucleic acids) under government approved conditions that maintain sample viability and integrity.
7. Molecular genetics diagnostic services including verification of pedigree relationships and DNA diagnostics
8. Whole genome and regional SNP genotyping using several different technology platforms.
9. High-throughput robotics for arraying genomic DNA in tubes or microwell plates and for arraying oligonucleotides on glass slides or membranes.
10. Gene expression surveys, including data analysis, using custom or prefabricated oligonucleotide microarrays or real-time PCR.

High-throughput, microchip assays of nucleic acids and proteins.

Stem Cells

http://cord.rutgers.edu/stemcellcourse/stemcellcorefacility.php

• Derivation:  non-destructive PGD, pathogen testing
• Expansion: feeder-free, or human feeder (foreskin, placental)
• Characterization: immunology, Q-RT-PCR, karyotype, EB formation
• Banking: Cryopreservation, data management, bar coding
• Services and Equipment: Study design, supplies, lab space, support protocols
• Development: lentiviral genetic modification, recombinant TFs

Biological Mass Spectrometry

The Biological Mass Spectrometry Facility of the UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Rutgers University is directed by Dr. Peter Lobel and is located in the Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine (CABM) building on the RWJMS/Busch Campus in Piscataway.

The facility has state-of the art instrumentation that can be used either directly by users or by facility staff for the analysis of biological samples. Services include:

Protein identification

• Gel based: (1D and 2D coommassie and silver stained gels)
• Solution based (simple and complex mixtures)

Characterization of post translational modification

• Phosphorylation site analysis
• Methylation site analysis
• Analysis of other potential modifications

Protein structure analysis

• H-D exchange
• Limited proteolysis

Proteomic analysis

• iTRAQ, MUDPIT analysis
• Label-free comparative proteomics

Investigators at UMDNJ, Rutgers University, as well as outside institutions are welcome to contact us to learn how we can provide assistance with their research as well as to join the 4800 TOF-TOF user groups. For more information go to: http://cabm-ms.cabm.rutgers.edu/