Facilities
Temperature-Controlled Storage:
The lab is equipped with extensive storage for temperature- sensitive materials, including four refrigerators with a combined capacity of 600 L and two freezers of 360L. This ensures optimal storage for samples and reagents. Additionally, we have access to -80 ultra freezers and a liquid nitrogen cell bank in a common area.
Molecular Biology and Single-Cell Analysis:
Thermal Cycler: The Eppendorf Thermal Cycler enables precise DNA amplification, essential for genetic and molecular biology research.
Single-Cell Sequencing Platform: The Mission Bio Tapestri platform is an advanced single-cell multi-omics tool designed to simultaneously analyse genetic variations and protein expression at the single-cell level. It combines high-throughput sequencing with targeted DNA and protein analysis, enabling researchers to explore cellular heterogeneity and its impact on disease progression and therapeutic outcomes.
Protein Analysis and Immunoassays:
Automated Immunoassay System: The Ella multiplex system provides automated protein detection and quantification, supporting protein research and biomarker discovery.
Automated Western Analysis System: The Jess Western Blotting System offers fully automated protein detection, streamlining the traditional Western blot workflow. It combines protein separation, immunodetection, and data analysis in a single platform, delivering high sensitivity and quantitative results.
Precision Liquid Handling and Measurement:
Pipette Controllers and Mechanical Pipettes: The lab houses Sartorius pipette controllers and six sets of mechanical pipettes across a range of volumes, ensuring precision and repeatability.
Balance: The Ohaus balance offers precise measurements from 20 grams to 6200 grams, with a readability of 0.01 grams.
Water Purification and Centrifugation:
Ultrapure Water System: The Sartorius Water Purification System provides Type 1 ultrapure water, essential for cell culture and molecular biology experiments.
Centrifuges: The lab contains a range of ThermoScientific centrifuges, including a microcentrifuge for microtubes and a temperature controlled general-purpose centrifuge for 15 mL and 50 mL tubes, supporting various sample preparation needs.
Cell Culture infrastructure:
Clean room: This dedicated area is designed to minimize contamination risks during cell-based experiments. It is equipped with HEPA filters, controlled airflow, and strict temperature control. These conditions are essential for culturing sensitive cells, such as stem cells or therapeutic cell lines.
Biological Safety Cabinets: Our lab houses three Telstar Type II Biological Safety Cabinets with a total of 2.3 m2 of clean workspace for sterile cell culture handling.
CO2 Incubators with O2 Control: We maintain four ThermoScientific CO2 incubators, offering 660 L of combined capacity with precise O2 control, ideal for culturing diverse cell lines.
General Purpose Bath: A 28 L ThermoScientific bath with metal beads is available for
Microscope: The Axio Observer 8 from Zeiss is an advanced inverted microscope designed for high-resolution imaging of live and fixed cells. It offers flexible observation modes, including fluorescence, DIC, and phase contrast, ideal for cell biology and materials science applications. With powerful automation and imaging capabilities, it supports precise, reproducible results for the interrogation of all cell types.
Bioreactor and cell media Systems:
Bioreactor System: The 8-Fold DASbox Mini Bioreactor System by Eppendorf is a compact, scalable bioreactor system, designed for small-volume, parallel bioprocessing. It allows up to eight independent bioreactors to operate simultaneously, offering precise control over parameters such as pH, temperature, and dissolved oxygen. Ideal for cell culture this system is perfect for process development, optimization, and scale-up experiments in biomanufacturing.
Spent Media Analyser: The Rebel Analyzer from 908 Devices is a compact, real-time metabolic analyser designed to measure extracellular metabolites in cell cultures. It enables rapid, on- demand analysis of critical nutrients and byproducts, critical for the optimisation of cell growth conditions and bioprocess performance.