Lab Facilities

Core Lab:

Case Western Reserve University houses core facilities for proteomics, bioinformatics, genomics, mass spectroscopy, tissue culture, monoclonal antibody and immunology, histology and histopathology, molecular biology, ELISPOT, ELISA, various types of spectral analysis (high resolution NMR, epr, uv-vis, gcms), atomic absorbance, fluorescence spectroscopy, protein crystallization and X-ray diffraction, peptide and DNA sequence analysis, molecular cytogenetics, confocal microscopy and image analysis, electron microscopy, gene expression microarray, cytokine measurement, immune function (CFAR), microbial pathogenesis, Uganda laboratory (HIV, TB), pharmacology/cancer pharmacology, hematopoietic stem cell core (cell processing, mesenchymal, neural, umbilical cord blood), stem cell and tissue engineering imaging and histology, radiation resources, biosafety level 3 facility, 3 different flow cytometry facilities, three quantitative RT-PCR facilities, design and fabrication, GC mass spectrometry, mouse metabolic phenotyping, nursing and nutrition, clinical research, tissue procurement and histology, translational research, behavioral measurement, epidemiology and biostatistics.

Exposure Facility:

Appropriate model system is required to assess the in vivo effects of inhaled PM2.5. Whole-body in-vivo exposure systems allow long-term exposure to “real world” particles, at “real world” concentrations, circumventing limitations inherent to intra-nasal and intra-tracheal exposure. The Versatile Aerosol Concentrator and Enrichment System (VACES) is one of the a few available in vivo exposure systems in the U.S. that allows investigation of the health effects of environmental exposure to ambient particulate pollution. The concentrated PM2.5 was generated using a versatile aerosol concentration enrichment system (VACES) developed by Sioutas et al [Environ Health Perspect. 1995; 103(2):172-7.] and modified by Chen and Nadziejko [Inhal Toxicol. 2005; 17(4-5):217-24.]. This system located on the 1st floor of Wolstein Research Building can simultaneously house 128 (64 filtered air and 64 concentrated particular particles) mice.

Numerous additional core facilities are present and accessible to researchers at the Cleveland Clinic, MetroHealth Medical Center and VA Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio.