Research Core Facilities at Georgia State University

Research Core Facilities at Georgia State University

Research Core Facilities at Georgia State University

  1. The Cell, Protein, and DNA Core facilities( staffed by one faculty director and five full-time technicians available to assist investigators with use of instrumentation to providing specific services for the conduct of research. The facilities contain a considerable number of sophisticated, analytical and quantitative tools and equipment that help research investigators both at Georgia State and in outside companies pursue their research goals.

Among several facilities in the state that are sponsored by the Georgia Research Alliance, the Cell, Protein, and DNA core facilities at Georgia state oversee and maintain a considerable number of sophisticated analytical and quantitative tools that provide academic researchers within the university and in local industries the capability and technological expertise to pursue their research goals.

  1. The facility provides both Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization (MALDI)mass spectrometryand proteomics services. MALDI mass spectrometry provides analysis of non-volatile, soluble, and insoluble analytes. MALDI is useful for samples such as biomolecules (proteins, sugars, peptides) and large organic molecules (polymers, dendrimers). MALDI mass spectrometry applications include molecular weight distribution, proteomics, drug discovery, and more. Samples analyzed includes polymers, lipids, oligosaccharides, phosphopeptides, bacteria, and small molecules. In addition to providing MALDI ToF analysis, the Proteomics core is also able to provide protein services ranging from protein isolation and purification through acrylamide gels using a state-of-the-art spot picker, as well as protein enzyme digestion. Moreover, staff are always readily available to consult with researchers.
  1. The facility also provides flow cytometry and cell sorting services. Flow cytometry uses the physical characteristics of a cell as well as fluorescent reagents/markers to answer phenotypic, biochemical, and molecular questions. Cell sorting uses these same characteristics and fluorescent markers to separate specific cells of interest from a complex mix of cells. Cell sorting can be used for various reasons such as very high purity (95% - 99%) populations, enrichment of populations or separation of low-density populations.
  1. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) services provide images with atomic or near-atomic resolution, including surface topography, with the capability of quantifying surface roughness of samples down to the angstrom scale. In addition to presenting a surface image, AFM can also provide quantitative measurements of features, such as step heights, with accurate measurements in multiple dimensions.
  1. Microarray services are available to assist researchers with studies involving whole genome discovery. The facility provides a comprehensive gene expression analysis featuring Affymetrix GeneChip arrays to enable scientists to address their custom goals in genetic analysis including determination of transcriptional activity of cells under controlled conditions, identifying genetic variations associated with disease, and discovering potential drug targets.
  1. The core facility provides DNS sequencing services to improve productivity and advance research using 3730 genetic analyzers (Applied Biosystems). Each provides a automated capillary electrophoresis system that is able to separate, detect, and analyze up to 48 capillaries of fluorescently labelled DNA fragments per run, with the potential for multiple runs within a 24-hour period.
  1. Current equipment in the Cell, Protein, and DNA Core facilityincludes:

Cell Equipment:

  • 4 x BD Biosciences Cell Sorter/Flow Cytometers
  • FACSAria II Cell Sorter (equipped with 633 nm, 488 nm, 405 nm and 355 nm (UV) lasers)
  • LSRFortessa Flow Cytometer (equipped with 488 nm, 633 nm, 561 nm and 405nm lasers)
  • FACSCanto Flow Cytometer (equipped with 488 nm and 633 nm lasers)
  • Accuri C6 (single laser -mobile unit)
  • 3 x Multi-Scaled fermentors-130-liter fermenter (New Brunswick)
  • BioFlo IIIMobile Plant
  • 2 x Biostat C mobile fermenters)
  • Agitator Bead Mill (Dynamill)
  • 2 x Auto2000 Cellometers (Nexcelom)

Protein Equipment:

  • Ettan DALTII Proteomics 2-D gel electrophoresis system (GE Healthcare)
  • 2 x variable Mode Imagers (Typhoon 9400 and Typhoon Trio
  • automated Spot Picker (GE Healthcare)
  • automated Proteolytic Workstation (GE Healthcare)
  • 4800 Plus MALDI ToF/ToF mass-spectrometry system (ABI)
  • 2 xAKTA explorers (GE Healthcare)
  • 4 x AKTA purifiers (GE Healthcare)
  • MDQ Capillary Electrophoresis System UV + LIF detectors (Beckman-Coulter)
  • Analytical Centrifuge XL-100 (Beckman-Coulter) with newly updated (2016) software

DNA/RNA Equipment:

  • 3730 DNA Sequencer (ABI)
  • 2 x NextGen DNA Sequencers
  • Ion TorrentSystem (small genome < 6 Mbp: Life Technologies)
  • Ion Proton System (large genome > 6 Mbp: Life Technologies) associated with integrated Ion Chef robotic workstation (Life Technologies) to enhance throughput
  • Genomic Gene-Chip 3000 Microarray analytical system (Affymetrix) with integrated Fluidics/Hybridization unit (Affymetrix)
  • automated Biomek NX robotic workstation (Beckman-Coulter)
  • 2 x Quant StudioRT-PCR Systems (Life Technologies)
  • StepOne PlusRT-PCR System(Life Technologies)
  • 3 x Prism 7500 FAST RT-PCR Systems (ABI)
  • 2 x 2100 Bioanalyzer Systems (Agilent)
  • Microarray Scanning System (Genepix)

Equipment for Cell, Protein, and DNA:

  • Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) multimode VIII System (Bruker) with multi-mode probes for higher resolution and more advanced software
  • 2 x Victor 3 fluorescent plate reader/luminometer (Perkin Elmer)
  • Enspire UV/Vis multi-wavelength plate reader with dispensor (Perkin Elmer)
  • 2 x multi-wavelength plate-readers (Spectramax)
  • 3 x Fully Automated Fluorescence Microscopes
  • Axioimager II Z1 microscope (fluoresc./phase/DIC: Zeiss)
  • Observer II M1 inverted microscope (Fluoresc./phase/DIC: Zeiss)
  • BZ-X700 Fluorescence microscope (Keyence)

The Cell, Protein, and DNA Core Facilitiesalso maintain an assortment of equipment for more generalized molecular biological research that is housed in common-use, laboratory areas:

  • 6 x large steam autoclaves, (Steris/AMSCO)
  • 4 x electrical autoclaves (Hirayama)
  • 5 x XL-100K ultracentrifuges (Beckman-Coulter)
  • Optima MAX-XP and 8 x Optima TL ultracentrifuges (Beckman-Coulter) with rotors (Type 35, 45Ti, two 70Ti, 80Ti, Vti50, two Vti80, SW25-1, three SW28, SW50 and SW41)
  • 8 x floor centrifuges (Beckman-Coulter)
  • 8 x tabletop centrifuges (Eppendorf); 8 x Gradient thermal cyclers (Eppendorf)
  • 3 x X-Ray film developers (Kodak), 3 x Liquid scintillation counters (Beckman LS 6500)
  • 8 x sonifiers (Branson)
  • 34 x incubator/shakers, (assorted floor and tabletop models: New Brunswick Scientific and ThermoFisher)
  • 3 x concentrator/evaporator (Eppendorf)
  • 4 x lyophilizers (Labconco Freezone; Virtis BT3.3EL)
  • 4 x water purification systems (Millipore)
  • Millipore cell concentrator
  • 2 x cell press (SLM-Aminco)
  • 4 x electroporators (BioRad Gene Pulser Xcell and micropulser)
  • 2 x densitometers (BioRad)
  • 2 x NanoVue (ThermoFisher)
  • 2 x NanoDrop (GE), P360 (Implen) spectrophotomer
  • 3 x Biophotometer D30s (Eppendorf)
  • Biospectrometer Basic and 2 x Biospectrometers Kinetic (Eppendorf)
  1. The Center for Advanced Brain Imaging (CABI) ( is located in midtown Atlanta and is a shared core facility between Georgia State / Georgia Tech. CABI focuses on neuroimaging research, but also conducts studies using EEG, tDCS, TMS, and eye tracking. The core hosts a 3-Tesla Siemens Trio Magnetic Resonance Imaging system to allow the investigation of brain function and structure.
  1. The flagship project of Georgia State University's Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy (CHARA)( itsoptical interferometric array of six telescopeslocated on Mount Wilson, California. Each telescope of the CHARA Array has a light-collecting mirror 1-meter in diameter. The telescopes are dispersed over the mountain to provide a two-dimensional layout that provides the resolving capability (but not the light collecting ability!) of a single telescope a fifth of a mile in diameter. Light from the individual telescopes is conveyed through vacuum tubes to a central Beam Synthesis Facility in which the six beams are combined together. When the paths of the individual beams are matched to an accuracy of less than one micron, after the light traverses distances of hundreds of meters, the Array then acts like a single coherent telescope for the purposes of achieving exceptionally high angular resolution. The Array is capable of resolving details as small as 200 micro-arcseconds, equivalent to the angular size of a nickel seen from a distance of 10,000 miles. In terms of the number and size of its individual telescopes, its ability to operate at visible and near infrared wavelengths, and its longest baselines of 330 meters, the CHARA Array is arguably the most powerful instrument of its kind in the world.

The Array is applicable to problems in almostall areas of contemporary astronomy. It is particularly suited to stellar astrophysics where it will be used to measure thediameters, distances, masses, and luminosities of starsas well as to image features such as spots and flares on their surfaces. Other projects range from detecting other planetary systems, imaging stars in process of formation, and studies of bright transient phenomena like novae

  1. The CURVE: Collaborative University Research & Visualization Environment( a technology-rich discovery space supporting the research and digital scholarship of Georgia State University students, faculty, and staff. Located at the heart of Georgia State’s Atlanta campus within the University Library, CURVE’s mission is to enhance research and visualizations by providing technology and services that promote interdisciplinary engagement, collaborative investigation, and innovative inquiry.

CURVE is designed to enhance student, faculty, and staff research and learning by connecting them with unique visualization hardware and software and the latest online research tools and services.

Several features of CURVE include:

  • The CURVE centerpiece technology, the interactWall is a large-scale, touch-enabled video wall that is flexible and easy to use — yet powerful enough to render complex models and visualizations. The wall itself measures 24 by 4.5 feet (~25 million active pixels), allows for multiple simultaneous touch users, and requires no special knowledge to get started. Users have the option to control the interactWall in a Window 7, Mac Maverick, or Linux Ubuntu environment. The control PC, Linux, and Mac Pro machines offer CURVE’s ever-growing suite of software applications.
  • CURVE provides access to collaborative Mac Pro workstations equipped with large displays, collaborative workspace accommodating up to 6 people, Mac Pros with 6 cores, 32 GB RAM, and collaborative PC workstations with 12 cores, 128 GB RAM. Both the Macs and PCs are equipped with an ever-growing list ofsoftware. The collaborative workstations are designed primarily to support group-based research, digital scholarship, and original creative activities of Georgia State University enrolled students, faculty, and staff.
  • The 84 inch 4K Resolution Workstationa touch enabled, ultra-high resolution workstation equipped with a PC offering 12 cores, 128 GB RAM, an Nvidia Quadro K5000 graphics card, and an ever growing list ofsoftware linked to the interactWall with fiber optics for groups requiring the highest resolution possible for advanced research.
  • NextEngine 3D Laser Scanners:CURVE’s 3D scanning and modeling room enhances research and learning by enabling students and instructors to convert physical artifacts into 3D digital objects for up-close study and analysis and for sharing with the broader public. The scanning hardware and software can be used to create virtual models of objects for learning and research across disciplines. An added benefit is that the digital objects created can be accessed from anywhere via the web, and are no longer confined to the classroom or laboratory.
  1. The Transgenic and Gene Targeting Core (TGT Core, at Georgia State University (GSU) is a research resource for investigators at Georgia State, as well as surrounding institutions, to produce genetically engineered animal models for biomedical research. Currently, the TGT Core provides a wide array of services including:

Production of Transgenic Rodents

Transgenic rodents are created via two primary methods:

  • Microinjection of DNA constructs into the pronucleus of single-cell embryos
  • Microinjection of lentiviruses into perivitelline space of single-cell embryos

Production of Gene-targeted Mice

Gene-targeted (knock-out or knock-in) mice are created via two primary methods:

  • Blastocyst microinjection of embryonic stem (ES) cells
  • CRISPR/Cas9 Technology: Pronuclear or cytoplasmic microinjection of Cas9 mRNA, sgRNA and Donor DNA

Embryo Rederivation

Animals rederivation via embryo transfer is done using two primary methods:

  • Rederivation from frozen embryos to recover the frozen stocks or to import animal strains
  • Rederivation from pathogen infected strains to eradicate unwanted infectious agents which may confound one’s animal research data

Embryonic Stem Cell Gene Targetingproduces embryonic stem cells with mutations induced by homologous recombination with a targeting vector.

Sperm and Embryo Cryopreservation

This service helps protect against the loss of valuable, unique mouse strains through breeding failure or disease, and to eliminate the cost of maintaining mouse strains not actively in use.

In vitro fertilization (IVF)

This service can be used to resurrect mouse strains, to rapidly expand mouse strains from a few males that carry the desired genotype, or to maintain strains with poor breeding efficiency.

The TGT Core can also provide support, advice, and counseling in developing molecular reagents for genetic engineering, ES cell culture, breeding, genotyping andgenetically engineered colony management.

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