We gratefully acknowledge the use of these shared facilities made possible through COBRE Grant P20 RR 021940.
Molecular Biology Core
PI: Yu-Jui Yvonne Wan, Ph.D., Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology,
and Therapeutics
The Molecular Biology Core provides COBRE projects with essential molecular biology reagents, technical support, and a state-of-the-art facility, so that experiments which require a molecular biology approach can be carried out in a cost-effective way. The Core provides a central sequencing facility for analyzing DNA sequence and gene polymorphisms; a central facility and reagent bank for real-time PCR to quantify mRNA expression; a high-throughput facility for PCR and genotyping; and vector, plasmid, and bacteria banks for reagent sharing. The Core houses state-of-the-art equipment, including an ABI Prism 3100 Genetic Analyzer, a real-time PCR machine, a Biomek FX Assay Work Station, and 5 thermocyclers. It also includes other commonly used molecular biology equipment such as an imaging system with the capability for densitometry analysis, bacteria incubators, and ultracentrifuge.
Null Mouse Core
PI: Grace Liejun Guo, Ph.D., Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology,
and Therapeutics
The Null Mouse core maintains standing colonies of nuclear receptor null mice to serve the scientific needs of investigators. At the present time there are the following null colonies: PXR, AhR, PXRα, CAR, PPARα, Nrf2, HNF1α, and HNF4α. In addition, in collaboration with the KUMC TGIF facility, This core will have the technical capability to engineer other new knockouts or double knockouts as the needs arise. Another feature of this core will be to isolate tissue, prepare hepatocytes and perform culture experiments upon request for the investigators who use this facility.
Histology Core
PI: Bryan Copple, Ph.D., Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology,
and Therapeutics
The Histology Core Facility is equipped with state of the art instrumentation used to embed, section, and stain fixed tissues. Specifically, the core facility has a Leica ASP300S Automated Vacuum Tissue Processor and a Leica EG1150H Paraffin Embedding Station for embedding tissues in paraffin blocks. The core is also equipped with a Leica RM2235 Manual Rotary Microtome for cutting paraffin sections. After sections are cut and placed on slides, they can be stained with Hematoxylin and Eosin using the Leica ST5010 Autostainer and the Leica HI1220 Coverslipper. In addition to equipment used to cut paraffin sections, the facility is equipped with a Leica CM3050S Cryostat for cutting frozen tissue sections. After sections are cut and staining completed, the slides can be visualized on a Zeiss Inverted Microscope attached to a digital camera, also a part of the Histology Core Facility. This microscope will perform fluorescence (red, blue, and green), bright field, differential contrast microscopy (DIC), and phase-contrast. These functions can be performed on slides or tissue culture dishes. Attached to the microscope is a digital camera that is used to take digital images of tissues sections or cells.
Analytical Core
PI: Gregory Reed, Ph.D., Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology,
and Therapeutics
Yazen Anoulti, Ph.D. Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and
Therapeutics
The Analytical Core provides instrumentation and expertise in application to research problems. Specifically, the Analytical Core provides and promotes HPLC, LC-MS/MS, FPLC, and Multi-mode spectrophotometry as analytical tools available to our investigators. This Core provides COBRE investigators modern instrumental approaches for the isolation, identification, and quantification of compounds of relevance to their studies of liver function in health and disease. It validates instrument performance as a component of an overall quality assurance program. The Core assists and trains COBRE investigators in appropriate sampling and sample preparation to take advantage of these instrumental approaches. Finally, the Analytical Core develops working relationships with other core facilities on this campus and on other campuses in the state to further develop the capabilities and the efficiency of all cores.
I think there's a world market for about five computers.
Thomas Watson, (Founder of IBM)
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