Facilities
Cell Technologies Unit
The Cell Technologies Unit provides specialist equipment and laboratories and expert staff to deliver technologies and services involving the storage, use and characterisation of mammalian cells and tissues.
These facilities include:
- Class II biosafety cabinets
- CO2 incubators
- Temperature monitored and alarmed -80 freezers
- Vapour phase liquid nitrogen storage and sample management and tracking systems
- State-of-the-art flow cytometry cell sorter
Genomics Core Facility Unit
The Genomics Core Facility Unit provides a comprehensive suite of genome analysis technologies and expert staff to support and deliver exceptional science in basic and translational biomedical research for internal and external users.
These facilities include:
- Short and long read next generation sequencing instrumentation including all required ancillary equipment for sequencing library preparation and quality control.
Other available equipment includes:
- High-throughput robotic liquid handling
- Automated DNA extraction
- Multi-mode high -sensitivity plate reader
- 96- and 384-well real-time PCR
- Targeted pyrosequencing instrumentation.
Services
Cell Technologies Unit
We offer access to state-of-the-art equipment and expert staff providing a range of cell technology services to internal and external users.
- Controlled storage of material in -80°C freezers and vapour phase liquid nitrogen
- Access to cell culture facilities for the maintenance for mammalian cell lines
- Testing of compounds for effects on cell culture, eg. as potential therapeutics for cancer or diabetes
- Downstream analysis of cell lines to elucidate the effect from treatment
- Evaluation of treatments for toxicity utilising healthy non-disease cell lines
- Flow cytometry analysis of treatment effects on cell proliferation and cell cycle
- Flow cytometry analysis of immune system and function
- Design of custom antibody panels for flow cytometry analysis
- Creation and isolation of novel cell lines over / under expressing genes of interest
- Bespoke cell culture training
Genomics Core Facility Unit
We offer state-of-the-art equipment and expert staff who provide a range of genomics services to internal and external users.
- Next generation short-read sequencing services are available for the following areas:
- Pathogen identification: Sequencing the genomes of bacteria, viruses, and other microbes to study antimicrobial resistance and outbreak tracking.
- Bulk and single cell Transcriptomics: The complete profiling of the transcriptome, including all RNA molecules found within individual cells or tissue, in bulk, or at single cell resolution.
- Small RNA sequencing: to detect and sequence small RNA species such as microRNAs.
- Tumour sequencing: Identifying genetic mutations in tumours to aid in targeted therapies and monitoring cancer progression through liquid biopsies.
- Multiomics: Interrogating multiple biological omes, such as the proteome, transcriptome, epigenome, and genome, to gain a comprehensive view of biological systems.
- Targeted DNA or RNA sequencing: A more cost-effective tool for analyzing specific variants or specific coding regions.
- Long-read sequencing services are available that can produce reads ranging from several kilobases to over 100 kilobases. Applications of long-read sequencing include:
- De novo assembly of complex genomes, including plants, animals, and microbes
- Improved structural variation detection for clinical genomics,
- Full-length transcript sequencing for isoform discovery and quantification
- Direct co-detection of epigenetic modifications and DNA sequencing from the same DNA molecule.
- PCR, qPCR and Pyrosequencing
- SNP genotyping
- Mutation detection
- Gene expression analysis
- DNA Methylation profiling
- Sample preparation
- Automated or manual DNA /RNA isolation from a range of sample types
- DNA /RNA quantification and quality control assessment
Industrial applications
Cell Technologies Unit
Industry can utilise the cellular technologies facilities to:
- Evaluation of novel active pharmaceutic ingredients in vitro
- Initial toxicology screening on cell models
- Assessment of the effects of treatment on immune function
- Creation of novel cell lines over / under expressing genes of interest
- Secure storage of samples / material
Genomics Core Facility Unit
Industrial applications of genomics can revolutionise research across various industries
- Healthcare: Precision medicine, cancer genomics, diagnostics, pathogen detection.
- Agriculture: Crop breeding and disease resistance
- Environmental science: Microbiome analysis, outbreak tracking
- Industrial biotech: Novel microbial processes, drug development and library screening
Benefits to industry
Cell Technologies Unit
The cellular technologies facilities enable industry to
- Gain access to state-of-the-art equipment
- Access expertise within the area
- Academic expertise on an industrial timeline
Genomics Core Facility Unit
We provide expert knowledge and services for industrial partners who are increasingly integrating omic technologies into their research and product development pipelines.
- Provide high quality results from controlled environments for clinical, environmental, and commercial sectors.
- Wide-ranging expertise in standard and specialist methods for next-generation sequencing. Access to bioinformatic and statistical analysis expertise.
- Enabling extensive applications, from research and development to clinical diagnostics
- Services and collaboration are available for all aspects of genomics research; experimental design, sample preparation, quality control, analysis, reporting and interpretation.
