Our core provides specialty immunohistochemical services, instrumentation, training and support personnel for the research efforts of the COBRE CCRD mentors and their junior associates as well as the academic community at large. We are located on the sixth floor of the Aldrich Building within the main campus of Rhode Island Hospital. Our equipment includes an ArcturusXT laser capture microdissector, Stratagene MX3005p realtime PCR instrument, BioRad iCycler, Agilent Bioanalyzer, Olympus fluorescence-capable microscope with image analysis software, Ventana Discovery immunohistochemistry processor, microtome, cryostat, Beecher tissue arrayer and Aperio ScanScope. Our tissue bank has 40 cu ft of ultra-low freezer space and provides human tumor tissue samples to all interested investigators who have received IRB approval for academic testing and research.

The COBRE for Skeletal Health and Repair in the Rhode Island Hospital enables clinicians and basic scientists, engineers and biologists to work side-by-side on multidisciplinary research, helping us to better understand cartilage and joint health mechanisms and develop strategies for the prevention and treatment of skeletal joint diseases.

Specific Aims:
-Provide sophisticated, state-of-the-art instrumentation in microscopic imaging and molecular analysis to different projects in the COBRE.
-Provide technical support and expert consultation in tissue, cell, and molecular, analysis to multidisciplinary users including biologists, clinicians and engineers.
-Provide training of cutting edge techniques in molecular and morphological analysis to investigators for achieving specific research objectives.
-Facilitate collaborations among different laboratories and disciplines through utilizing common equipment and analyzing techniques.