Labs and Equipment
Labs
Program in Image Guided Neurointerventions (PIGN)
PIGN is located on the first floor of the brand new state-of-the-art Health Science Facility III building (HSF III). It consists of 1,000sq.ft. fully equipped general laboratory space with desks and bench space for ten scientists (HSFIII 1150); 220sq. ft. cell culture room (HSFIII 1164); 440 sq. ft. dedicated to molecular biology and BSL-2 viral vector and radioactivity work (HSFIII 1145). In addition, the Program is complemented by 150 sq. ft. radiopharmacy lab for radiolabeling of cells and molecules (HSFIII L-143) and 220 sq. ft. two-photon intravital microscopy facility L-125)
Shared Space
A small animal surgical station for stereotactic and microvascular procedures is located in the Howard Hall room 686, adjacent to small animal PET and MRI scanners as well as animal housing facility. Such close proximity is ideal for developing real-time image guided neurointerventions. The PET facility is equipped with a preparation dose area as well as with satellite housing of radioactive animals. The MRI scanner is furnished with a state-of-the-art focused ultrasound system equipped with a hydrophone for sensing ultrasound biological effects, which is ideally suited for blood brain barrier opening studies.
Equipment
Cell Culture Lab
Cell culture lab is equipped with CytoSpark imager (Tecan) which is a state-of-the-art system integrating both plate reader and live cell imaging capabilities. It supports advanced assays including Bright field, Fluorescence, Absorbance, TR-FRET, Fluorescence polarization (FP), Luminescence and AlphaScreen. The cell culture lab also includes Nexcelom cell counter, centrifuge, two biosafety cabinets, two cell incubators, and other basic equipment.
Molecular Biology Lab
Molecular biology lab is equipped with qNano instrument (Izon Science) based on tunable resistive pulse sensing (TRPS), qPCR, centrifuge, and other basic equipment for molecular biology
Small Animal Surgery Lab
Small animal surgery lab is equipped with a stereotaxic injector, two stereoscopes, motorized injector, animal vital sign monitoring system, small animal anesthesia station including isoflurane vaporizer, scavenging system, ventilate indicators and oxygen generating system.
General Lab
General lab is a space for a routine laboratory work. It includes desks for post docs, students, and other trainees. It is equipped with basic laboratory tools such as balances, pH meter, pipettes, rockers, vortex, microcentrifuge, etc.
Radiolabeling Lab
Radiolabeling laboratory is equipped with a lead-brick shielded dose preparation area, HPLC 1260 Infinity II LC System (Agilent) and Radio Flow Meter Gabi (Isosolution). The room is complemented with other basic laboratory equipment such as rocker, vortex and microcentrifuge.
2-Photon Intravital Imaging Lab
The two-photon in vivo imaging platform includes a widely tunable high power pulsed laser (Chameleon Discovery) and the Modular In Vivo Multi-photon Microscope 2.0 (MIMMS 2.0) designed by Janelia Research Campus of Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Compared to other commercially available two-photon microscopes, the unique part about this microscope is its optimization for in vivo imaging in terms of flexibility, fast imaging speed and compatibility with other recording signal inputs. In addition, it also has an independent laser path for two-photon optogenetic stimulation.
Shared Equipment
PIGN has access to a wide portfolio of scientific equipment across the UMB campus. Items that are central to the activities of the program include: clinical PET-MR scanner (Siemens), clinical 3T Prisma scanner (Siemens), and high field Bruker scanners: 7T and 9.4 T and Inveon PET scanner (Siemens), which is dedicated for small animals.