Research Capacity Cores
Funded by the Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) Program in Health Disparities Research at Meharry Medical College, the Meharry RCMI Research Capacity Cores are ready to support transdisciplinary research spanning micro to macro scales of inquiry in pursuit of health equity.
• Molecular Biology
The Molecular Biology Core at Meharry Medical College is a multi-functional facility that provides the primary service of DNA sequencing, but also provides access to shared equipment housed in a centralized location and facilitates convenient and rapid access to frequently used molecular biological reagents. The Core also maintains an Invitrogen Supply Center that stocks routinely used reagents for molecular biological research.
• Flow Cytometry
The Flow Cytometry Core provides advance instrumentation and high level technical and scientific expertise in multi-dimensional Flow Cytometry and Cell Sorting,
The FACSAria III from Becton Dickinson (BD) includes three solid-state lasers: blue (488nm), red (633nm), and violet (405). The system has the ability to detect five colors from the blue laser, two colors from the red laser, and two colors from the violet laser for a total of nine simultaneous fluorescent colors. The detection optics include BD’s patented fiber-coupled octagon and trigon technology. The digital acquisition system allows inter- and intra-beam compensation as well the ability to threshhold on any parameter. The automated cell deposition unit (ACDU) can accommodate slides and 6, 24, 48, 96, and 384-well plates.
The CytoFLEX S Flow Cytometer from Beckman Coulter is equipped with the advanced avalanche photodiode detecting system and Violet Side Scatter option, which provides the CytoFLEX with exceptional detection capabilities, large dynamic range to resolve dim and bright populations in the same sample, and power of nanoparticle detection.
The Luminex Aminis® Time Delay Integration (TDI) sensory technology is a unique flow cytometry system is equipped with single-tube and 96-well plate loaders for single samples or multiple, automated sampling. The four lasers (405nm, 488 nm, 532nm, and 642nm), enable up to 17 parameters. The CellStream signal is detected by a charge-coupled device (CCD)-camera using TDI sensory technology.
• Gene Editing Service
The Gene Editing Service Core provides internal and external investigators access to state-of-the-art genome editing technologies. Our dedicated technical staff assists with the high-efficiency generation of genetically knockout or knockin cells in cell lines and progenitor cells. Working closely with investigators, our staff assists in designing guide RNAs, preparing reagents, transfection/infection procedures, cloning, screening and assessment of potential off-target effects.
• Biosafety Level 3 Lab
The BSL-3 Lab provides a safe environment for the investigation of infectious pathogens. The design of the lab limits exposure to such agents. The laboratory personnel have specific training in proper handling procedures. There are four biosafety cabinets and six CO2 incubators inside the lab accommodating up to eight researchers simultaneously. The free-standing Beckman Optima L-90K Ultracentrifuge has an SW60Ti and an SW41 rotor for sample processing.
• Imaging, Morphology, and Immunohistochemistry
The Fluorescence Microscopy Morphology Core provides expertise and state-of-the-art instrumentation for performing fluorescence and bright-field microscopy to investigators. This subcore also contains resources for immunostaining of cells and fixed tissues. It provides investigators access to a Nikon A1R confocal laser scanning microscope, TIRF and super-resolution STORM microscope, Nikon TE2000-E fully automated wide-field florescence microscope, and a variety of fluorescent and bright-field imagers such as the BioTek Cytation 5 and Synergy Neo2 microplate reader with plate loader/stacker (Alpha scans), as well as EVOS and Keyence BZ-X700 microscopes with options for whole-slide stitched image, time-lapse experiments in 5 percent CO2 atmosphere, and other live cell conditions. Core staff offers consultation on instrumentation and experimental design, instrument training, and collaboration opportunities.
• Human Tissue Acquisition and Pathology
The Meharry Human Tissue and Pathology Core provides tissue collection and storage services and access to human tissue, histology services, and specialized equipment. Histology services include paraffin embedding, paraffin sectioning, automated Hematoxylin and Eosin staining, frozen sectioning, special staining, immunohistochemistry, and other specialized processing and sectioning services on a fee-for-service basis.
• Biostatistics
The Biostatistics Core in Meharry’s School of Graduate Studies provides statistical services, such as sample size determination, statistical planning, analysis, data curation, and interpretation, to all Meharry faculty, staff and students engaged in research as well as collaborators outside Meharry. Consulting services are offered for a fee.
• Bioinformatics, BioMedical Informatics, and Proteomics
The Bioinformatics, Biomedical Informatics, and Proteomics Core incorporates existing and emerging research technologies for Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Clinical & Health Informatics, Big Data, and “Omics” level data analysis. The Core provides analysis and training for:
• Genomics: [DNA-Seq, Genome Assembly & Annotation, GWAS, PheWAS]
• Transcriptomics: [RNA-Seq, non-coding RNA-Seq (miRNA, piRNA, sncRNA)]
• Health & Medical Informatics: [Clinical data and EMR queries, phenotype, validation]
• Proteomics: [Protein and Small Molecule Mass Spectrometry, Proteome Analysis & Quantitation] including MudPIT (Multidimensional Protein Identification Technology) with optional isotope labeling (iTRAQ/TMT or SILAC)
• Systems Biology: [Biological Network and Pathway analysis from multi- Omics & Big Data sets]
Additionally, we have ongoing partnerships with the Vanderbilt University core labs to offer more applications such as glycoproteome and phosphoproteome analysis, top-down proteomics, untargeted metabolomics, and MALDI MS imaging.
• Pathology
Human Tissue Acquisition and Pathology services coordinates with Meharry clinics and Nashville General Hospital to offer clinical specimen, histology, and immunohistochemistry support for clinical and translational researchers. Only remnant tissue samples not needed for diagnostic purposes are collected. Normal, neoplastic, and other diseased tissues are available fresh or snap frozen or in a variety of fixatives. Histology services offered include paraffin embedding and sectioning, automated Hematoxylin and Eosin staining, frozen sectioning, special staining, and immunohistochemistry.