Our Mission:
To provide investigators with a complete cell culture and isolation delivery service. Isolation and characterization of cells is a time and cost intensive process. Thus, our aim is to achieve economy of scale and quality assurance through centralized tissue and cell processing.
The tissue and cell culture core has 300 square feet of dedicated space, used to isolate and culture lung cells. The core is fully staffed with technical personnel so that quality control of cell purity is maintained within the lab, before cells are made available to investigators.
Standard screening procedures ensure that cells are thoroughly characterized before use. For example, each endothelial cell population used tests positive for e-NOS, VE-cadherin, LDL uptake, factor VIII, and PECAM1 and negative for smooth muscle cell alpha actin . Furthermore, we discriminate between endothelial cells isolated from different pulmonary vascular segments. Pulmonary artery endothelial cells (PAECs) interact with the lectin Helix pomatia, whereas pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (PMVECs) interact with Glycine max and Griffonia simplicifolia lectins. Cells are continuously monitored for experimental consistency and are routinely checked for mycoplasma.
Technical expertise, consultation, and training in cell isolation and culture is provided by the core. We also coordinate the means, design, and execution of cell based experiments.
Available equipment includes: Forma Scientific incubators, fume hoods, tissue culture hoods, Nikon and Zeiss inverted phase contrast microscopes with photographic attachments, Coulter Counter, constant temperature water baths, pH meters, a table top variable speed centrifuge, refrigerated centrifuges, distilled water deionizer, refrigerators, freezers (-20°C and -80°C ), liquid and vapor phase nitrogen gas dewars, glass drying ovens, autoclaves, and ancillary equipment.
Judy Creighton, Ph.D.
Director
