The Ohio State University Medical Center offers more than 20 core research laboratories for shared use by health-sciences investigators. Clinical research faculty, basic scientists and students all benefit from the shared cost of these resources, and the research environment at Ohio State benefits from the economies of scale that enable timely acquisition of new instrumentation and technologies. Analytical Cytometry – This laboratory, directed by Jeffrey Chalmers, PhD, is a joint venture between Ohio State’s Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Medical Center’s Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute. It provides basic and clinical investigators with flow cytometric hardware and software for cell characterization and sorting. The laser-based technique is useful to quantitate intracellular and extracellular properties of cells, bacteria, chromosomes and other biological particles. Behavioral Measurement – This shared resource, led by Barbara Andersen, PhD, assists in integrating behavioral research into the broad research goals of Ohio State’s Comprehensive Cancer Center. It also provides researchers in cancer prevention and control with population-based data retrieval, consultation for patient accrual procedures and locations, identification or adaptation of existing measures of key behavioral constructs, and guidance with behavioral data collection methodology and personnel. Behavioral Phenotyping – This new facility in the Biomedical Research Tower vivarium is led by Laura Bohn, PhD, and Matthew During, MD, PhD. It offers specialized equipment and collaborative expertise for monitoring an array of behavioral responses. A partial list of behaviors and monitoring equipment includes a multifunction video system for digital monitoring of operant and preference conditioning. Monitoring of diurnal patterns, locomotion, feeding, social interactions, learning and memory, anxiety and depression is also available. Many of these tasks can be accomplished through a newly purchased Clever Systems analysis suite. On-site training is available by appointment. Biomedical Informatics – Computers play an everincreasing role in the analysis of biologically derived data. Led by Joel Saltz, MD, PhD, the Biomedical Informatics Core Laboratory applies distributed and parallel computing techniques to data retrieval and integration, imaging, simulation, medical informatics and computational biology. Its personnel also develop middleware and optimizations to enable Grid computing in the biological, medical and physical sciences. Biostatistics Core – Led by Dave Jarjoura, PhD, this resource helps researchers identify collaborators to prepare grants, create and maintain databases, analyze data, develop methodologies and publish results. It assists them in all aspects of grant proposal development, experimental design, sample size determination, data management, statistical analysis, development and application of statistical methodologies, and manuscript preparation. Center for Knowledge Management – Ohio State’s Center for Knowledge Management (CKM), housed in the John A. Prior Health Sciences Library, is one of the nation’s most comprehensive repositories of global biomedical knowledge and intellectual capital. The CKM provides cost-effective access to biomedical knowledge, identifies and makes available knowledge and key research findings, expedites packaging of information content as reusable and sharable resources, facilitates understanding and helps incorporate information resources into work processes. The interim director for this resource is Susan Kroll, MLS. Clinical Trials Office (CTO) – The CTO, under the leadership of James Thomas, MD, PhD, facilitates development and implementation of all Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center clinical trials, including regulatory processing, subject recruitment, data collection and protocol-management services. The General Clinical Research Center (GCRC) program is funded by the National Center for Research Resources in the National Institutes of Health. The GCRC program provides indirect financial support to principal investigators of components essential to clinical research: hospitalization and ancillary laboratory costs, and salaries of key personnel, including nurses, research bionutritionists, administrators, core laboratory staff, biostatisticians and computer personnel. The program enables flexibility in the design, accessibility and scope of research. This facilitates rapid initiation of novel protocols and pilot studies. William Malarkey, MD, directs this core. Laser Microdissection Pressure Catapulting Molecular Analysis Facility – Led by Sashwati Roy, PhD, this facility contains a robotized PALM MicroLaser system containing PALM MicroBeam and PALM RoboStage/RoboMover for high throughput sample collection. Procurement of another device, specifically directed at community service, is in process. The facility enables molecular analyses of laser captured tissue material. Services include standardization of novel techniques related to tissue processing, staining, fixation and capture, with the goal being to preserve nucleic acid and protein integrity of the laser-captured tissue. Capture and analysis of tissue down to the resolution of a single cell population (cutting precision 0.6 micron) from in vivo tissue sections are routinely performed. In addition, the facility has developed a novel way to rapidly identify and capture human blood vessels from clinical samples in a manner that makes highdensity screening of the transcriptome possible. Leukemia Tissue Bank – Directed by Clara D. Bloomfield, MD, this resource provides central collection, processing and repository for samples collected from leukemia patients treated on Ohio State University protocols. These samples are available to investigators within Ohio State’s Comprehensive Cancer Center and to outside collaborators who examine cellular and molecular properties of leukemia. Microarray – The Microarray resource, led by Chang-Gong Liu, PhD, offers genome-wide analysis of multiple genes using Affymetrix GeneChips. Services include mRNA transcriptional profiling, microRNA/non-coding small RNA transcriptional profiling, single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping, genomic DNA gain/loss detection on BAC CGH Array, microRNA genomic gain/loss on oligo CGH array, consultation, RNA characterization, and microarray processing and data analysis. A satellite Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center Affymetrix microarray facility is housed at Columbus Children’s Research Institute. MicroMD – A premier microfabrication facility for developing bioMEMS devices (microelectromechanical systems), the Ohio MicroMD Laboratory facilitates a broad range of research and development activities and is the nation’s first technologically integrated facility dedicated to developing therapeutic applications for BioMEMS. This core is led by Robert Davis, PhD. Microscopy – The Microscopy Core Lab in Ohio State’s Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute provides technology to visualize minute details of the subcellular organization of living cells and tissues. In addition to fluorescent microscopes fully equipped for optimized magnification, time-lapse video microscopy and multi-channel visualization, the lab offers other instrumentation, including multiphoton confocal microscopy that allows investigators to probe delicate living cells or tissues longer and deeper without damaging samples. This lab is directed by Thomas Clanton, PhD. Molecular Cytogenetics – Directed by Nyla Heerema, PhD, the Molecular Cytogenetics Shared Resource provides molecular cytogenetic technology and classical banded metaphase cytogenetics. Services include metaphase karyotyping of human and mouse tissue, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using many different types of probes and tissues, and multicolor spectral karyotyping (SKY). Mouse Phenotyping – Researchers using animal models of human cancer receive pathology support from this resource, which specializes in morphologic characterization of newly produced lines of genetically engineered mice. Supervised by interim leader Michael Lairmore, DVM, PhD, it also offers such services as necroscopy, slide preparation, semiquantitative histopathology for experimental studies, morphometry, hematology, clinical chemistry, consultation and referral. Office of Translational and Applied Research – The mission to address the barriers and facilitate the development of Translational and Applied Research at The Ohio State University Medical Center. The discipline, Translational and Applied Research serves as a powerful vehicle to connect the scientific community to the people whose health problems we have undertaken to solve. Pharmacoanalytical – This resource offers two LC/MS systems for quantitation of analytes and identification of metabolites in biological matrices. This equipment is primarily used for quantitation of parent drug and metabolites in clinical specimens. This resource is led by James Dalton, PhD. Pharmacogenomics – Led byWolfgang Sadée, Dr.rer.nat., the Core Laboratory of Ohio State’s Program in Pharmacogenomics supports intermediate scale genotyping for use in clinical association studies. Genotyping panels covering nearly 1,000 polymorphisms are available, targeting genes implicated in cancer, cardiovascular and central nervous system disorders, as well as drug metabolism and transport. The Core Laboratory also has developed a rapid approach for discovery of functional polymorphisms in candidate genes as potential markers for assessing disease and therapy outcomes. Proteomics – A shared resource of Ohio State’s Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Medical Center’s Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute, the Proteomics lab provides researchers with instrumentation, expertise and services needed to identify proteins, protein modifications and protein biomarkers in biological samples. It can identify proteins from 1D and 2D gels using electrophoresis and imaging equipment, robotic sample handlers and mass spectrometers. The lab is directed by Kari Green-Church, PhD, and Douglas Kniss, PhD. Tissue Procurement – Part of the Human Tissue Resource Network at Ohio State, this resource procures and provides researchers with malignant and normal tissues from solid tumors. Under the direction of Scott Jewell, PhD, Tissue Procurement staff provide quality control of the research specimen and interact with pathologists and investigators to better assist in procurement of tissues and to foster hypothesis-driven cancer research. Transgenic Animal Facility – Led by Anthony Young, PhD, and Akihira Otoshi, MD, PhD, this facility provides transgenic and gene-targeted mice and other related services to the Ohio State biomedical research community. Jointly operated by the Center for Molecular Neurobiology, University Laboratory Animal Resources and Columbus Children’s Research Institute, the service includes three animal vivariums, a DNA preparation laboratory, consultation and primary care of animals. X-ray Crystallography – This shared resource, led by Charles Bell, PhD, houses equipment and computational resources for collecting single crystal macromolecular X-ray diffraction data for determining X-ray crystal structures of proteins and other macromolecules at atomic resolution. Cryogenic devices are available for low-temperature data collection. Affiliated Cores Cell Manipulations Laboratory (CML) – The CML is a cleanroom for FDA GTP-compliant processing of “more than minimally manipulated” human tissues. The facility can accommodate two concurrent and fully segregated projects. CML services may be tailored to researcher needs and range from “cleanroom use only” to “full service production.” Led by Tom Leemhuis, PhD, the CML is located at The Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and is a shared resource with Ohio State’s Comprehensive Cancer Center and Columbus Children’s Hospital. Translational Trials Development and Support Lab – The Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center Translational Trials Development and Support Lab, which collaborates with Ohio State’s Comprehensive Cancer Center and Columbus Children’s Hospital, provides assays in support of translational research. Molecular-based assays include LAM and LM vector insertion, mycoplasma and multiple PCR-based assays. Cellular-based assays include clonogenicity, Fanconi Anemia complementation, endotoxin and tailored assays for protein function, as well as a normal donor cell repository for IRB-approved research. It is led by Lilith Reeves, MS. Viral Vector Core – The Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center Viral Vector Core produces research-grade retroviral and lentiviral vectors, generates stable producer lines, and offers non-GMP quality control testing, including vector titer by functional assay or PCR, mycoplasma, sterility, RCR and RCL testing. Retrovirus for clinical application is produced in the Vector Production Facility, a validated cleanroom for producing viral vectors for phase I/II clinical studies. Led by Han van der Loo, PhD, this core is a shared resource with Ohio State’s Comprehensive Cancer Center and Columbus Children’s Hospital. The Viral Vector Core at Columbus Children’s Research Institute supplies recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) and recombinant adenovirus (rAd) vectors of uniform quality to individual research laboratories. The core is a full-service facility, capable of generating vectors beginning with a cDNA sequence and ending with the synthesis and purification of gene transfers that have passed rigorous quality assurance assays. The core supports production of six novel rAAV vector serotypes (rAAV1, rAAV2, rAAV4, rAAV5, rAAV8 and rAAV9). It is led by Reed Clark, PhD. |
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