The Biochemistry and Immunology Core provides access to specialized methods, technical instrumentation and expertise. The core focuses on purification, analysis, characterization and physical measurements, many in solution (native conditions) and complimentary to one another. This ranges from amino acids – structural studies – interactions – assemblies – to live cells. The core staff help investigators design experiments, collect, analyze and interpret data.

We are a combined facility: Biochemistry includes instrumentation for protein purification, analysis and physical measurements. Purification and analysis include various forms of liquid chromatography (UPLC, HPLC). Physical measurements can be achieved by a variety of spectrophotometric techniques (circular dichroism, ultra-violet, visible, and fluorescence spectroscopy), dynamic light scattering, SECMALLS, SPR and analytical ultracentrifugation.
Immunology instrumentation includes flow cytometry; instrumentation used to assess the immunophenotype of cell types and specific cell receptor(s), ligand binding, expression of surface and intracellular antigens, signal transduction events such as calcium flux, cell cycle progression based on analysis of DNA and RNA, apoptosis and cell sorting (including single cells).

A selection of shared instrumentation is available to researchers at the Wadsworth Center as well as scientists from neighboring institutes. The core is provides easy access to highly technical instrumentation and highly specialized methods not other wise readily accessible.


Chromatography equipment (HPLCs, UPLC)
Analytical Ultracentrifuge
Fluorescence Spectroscopy
UV/Vis spectroscopy
Circular Dichroism Spectroscopy
Dynamic Light Scattering
SECMALLS
Surface Plasmon Resonance
FACScan Calibur Flow Cytometer
Aria II Cell Sorter

Adherent cells or tissue fragments can be imaged in a variety of methods depending on the question being asked. If drug delivery is required, a perfusion style chamber is used; if gas exchange for the growth media is needed glass bottom Petri dishes can be used; if long term (> 3 days) sterility is needed, there are sealed Rose chambers for imaging. Regardless of what the experimental design, the specimen can be maintained from RT to 50 ºC. Non-destructive image modes i.e. phase contrast, differential interference contrast or polarized light coupled with shutter and filtered illumination provide as close to homeostatic conditions as possible.

Once the images are collected there is an extensive array of image processing & analysis software to assist in data analysis/interpretation. These “tools” range from the simple, contrast manipulation to complex tracing and counting algorithms. There are also different forms of deconvolution available for "removing" the blur from fluorescent specimens, or transmitted light images. If multiple molecules are labeled, co-localization can be determined for either a static image or an image sequence. There are both automatic and semi-automatic 2 and 3-D tracking/montaging algorithms available.

The University of Kansas Computational Chemical Biology Core (CCB) provides the computational resources and expertise to enhance the productivity of researchers in a variety of fields, including biology, biochemistry, medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, and pharmaceutical chemistry. The CCB has the tools and expertise to perform virtual screening, protein-small molecule docking, binding site prediction, protein modeling and design, prediction of protein stability changes upon mutation, fragment based probe design, molecular dynamics, as well as preparation of presentation graphics.

With the introduction of Alphafold, the CCB has significant expertise in interpreting results, modeling specific ligands and/or alternate states that weren't returned by Alphafold, and virtual screening against Alphafold models, which often are not suitable for a traditional virtual screen. This is accomplished through out specialization in initial hit identification of non-traditional drug targets such as structures lacking pre-formed small molecule binding site or protein-RNA interfaces by offering high-throughput virtual screening via pocket optimization with exemplar screening at protein-protein interfaces and hotspot pharmacophore mimicry of protein-RNA interactions.

We look forward to working with you in any stage of your project, from hypothesis formation, gathering of preliminary data for grant submissions, long-term collaborations, all the way to providing a figure to put the finishing touch on your manuscript.

The Mass Spectrometry and Analytical Proteomics Core (MSAPL) at KU provides a range of mass-spectrometry (MS) based services including small molecule analysis & quantitation, peptide and protein MW determination.
We also provide many MS-based proteomics services and associated bioinformatics including: global proteome IDs (Discovery) and targeted proteomics, post-translational modification mapping, quantitative proteomics (Label-free; TMT; other labels). We also provide consultation for designing proteomics experiments. In addition to that we also provide thermal protein profiling (TPP) .

The Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Research Core provides Rensselaer researchers, in addition to academic and industrial users throughout the community, access to state-of-the-art, ultra-high field NMR instrumentation. The diverse capabilities of the facility are enabled with an array of fixed and broadband tunable probes for solution and solid-state NMR, and resonators and high power gradients for diffusion and magnetic resonance microimaging. The NMR core actively supports research programs including structure determination of small molecules, proteins, carbohydrates, nucleic acids, and macromolecular complexes at atomic resolution, quantitative analysis of complex mixtures, metabolomics applications, diffusion analysis, characterization of materials, and MR microimaging.

Expert training and assistance is available in experiment design and/or pulse sequence customization, sample preparation, data acquisition, processing, analysis, and reporting of results (e.g. manuscript and/or grant preparation) in addition to comprehensive fee-for-service support.

The Microscopy and Analytical Imaging Research Resource Core Laboratory (MAI; also known as
Microscopy and Analytical Imaging Shared Resource [MAISR]), is a 2,450 ft2 core research resource core laboratory in Room 1043 in Haworth Hall at the University of Kansas Lawrence campus. The MAI (https://mai.ku.edu/) is a fee-for-service center. The imaging resources within the MAI are available to all University of Kansas, University of Kansas Medical Center, and University of Kansas Cancer Center students, staff, and faculty, students, staff, and faculty within and outside the state, and industry collaborators working in the life sciences and material sciences for nominal fees.

The MAI resource scientists (https://mai.ku.edu/lab-staff) provides training for undergraduate, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, faculty, staff, and industry collaborators as many times as is necessary to master a given instrument and/or technique.
The MAI is directed by Eduardo Rosa- Molinar, Ph.D., Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Bicampus Neuroscience Graduate Program, Anatomy and Cell Biology, and Bioengineering.

The KU Protein Production Group (PPG) focuses on the cloning, expression and purification of prokaryotic and eukaryotic proteins for KU and other investigators in Kansas and the nation. The laboratory maintains a variety of equipment to support the production of properly folded proteins in quantities suitable for structural studies (X-ray and NMR), functional studies (catalytic or biological), label-free binding studies (SPR) and/or high throughput (HTP) screening studies.

The Protein Structure & X-Ray Crystallography Laboratory (PSXL) is a core laboratory at the University of Kansas that possesses the infrastructure and expertise to perform all aspects of protein and small molecule structure determination using X-ray crystallography. For protein structure determination, high-throughput methods are utilized to move projects rapidly from gene-to-structure.

The COBRE Biomolecular NMR Laboratory maintains two high field NMR spectrometers in support of structural and dynamics studies of biomolecules with COBRE and other investigators in Kansas and the region. Its capabilities include determining high resolution structures, biological macromolecules, elucidation and structural mapping of protein-protein, protein-nucleic acid, protein-peptide, protein-drug interactions, and studies of the dynamics of proteins and their complexes in solution. Laboratory staff provide advice, consultation, training, assistance and complete structure elucidation services to investigators. The staff is also responsible for maintenance, upgrades, implementation of new NMR pulse sequences, and assisting local and remote users with technical problems.

High throughput screening of large chemical libraries of compounds is a proven way to identify novel chemical entities that target a biological system of interest. KU-HTS is a state- of-the-art facility dedicated to providing exceptional services in advancing drug discovery research initiatives, as well as assistance in preparing grant applications. HTS personnel have extensive experience in executing biochemical, cell-based, siRNA as well as high content screening campaigns against a plethora of target classes. KU-HTS is a fee-for-service facility dedicated to providing academia and nonprofit institutions, as well as the biotech and pharmaceutical industry, with exceptional quality services at the lowest cost structure. We partner with the investigators collaboratively to expedite their drug discovery efforts and serve as a uniquely qualified reference facility with high throughput screening instrument manufacturers as well as reagent kit developers and manufacturers.

The Proteomics Core at RPI prvides services for insiders and outsiders researches.
It has a Bruker Ultraflex III MALDI TOF/TOF ,a Thermo Electron Finnigan TSQ Quantum Ultra,a Thermo Scientific LTQ ORBITRAP XL and a Shimadzu GC/MS.

The Synthetic Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory is a university-based drug discovery facility with a state-of-the-art infrastructure for pharmaceutical research. The Core provides medicinal, synthetic, and combinatorial chemistry support for Core B (HTS) and COBRE investigators. The support involves the optimization of compounds for potency, and selectivity by the following:

Preparing targeted libraries for screening and
lead optimization
Synthesizing organic compounds on various scales
(from mg to multi-gram)
Assisting COBRE investigators and other
university investigators, if requested, in the
design of novel ligands and in the development
of practical synthetic routes.

Imaging instrumentation:
7T/13cm horizontal and 14T/9cm vertical bore MRI Scanners, Bruker Ultraflex III MALDI TOF/TOF with imaging capabilities and a small animal Scanco Medical Viva CT40 micro-CT scanner

The Analytical Biochemistry Core Facility at RPI is one of the best equipped research facilities in the northeast. This new facility is equipped with state-of-the-art instrumentation.
Instrumentation:Spex® FluoroLog®-Tau -3 Spectrofluorimeter,Jasco 815 Spectrometer with BioLogic stopped-flow,Bruker D8 Discover X-Ray Diffractometer,Bruker Nanostar Small-Angle X-Ray Scattering,Beckman Analytical Ultracentrifuge XL-I,MicroCal VP-Isothermal Titration Calorimeter (VP-ITC),Shimadzu High Pressure Liquid Chromatograph (HPLC,TA DSC Q100,TA TGA Q50,Wyatt Technology DynaPro Titan Batch Dynamic Light Scattering, Analytical Biochemistry Core Facility

Its mission is to provide service and consultation on many different areas of modern analytical biochemistry to both on and off campus investigators.

Instrumentation:
BD Sciences FACSAria,BD Sciences LSRII,GE Typhoon Trio+ ,Roche LightCycler 480 RT-PCR ,Amaxa Nucleofector and much more

NeuraCell is a core facility that makes neural stem cell (NSC) research practical for those wishing to join the field. Our group has over 20 years of experience working with these cells and can now provide you with NSCs, iPS cells, RPE cells and everything you need to grow them. In addition to cells and media, we also provide a range of molecular, cytometry, microscopy and confocal microscopy services. We also provide a consult based characterization service where we can assess how your products or reagents affect stem cell performance and behavior. We are not just limited to stem cells and since we have no in-directs, our pricing is lower than most.