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Research Facilities

In addition to the equipment in individual laboratories, UC Merced investigators in QSB can access these shared pieces of equipment. Many core facilities are planned in the near future.

Computational Biology Facilities
    • 40-processor Apple XServe Computing Cluster installed with BioTeam iNquiry support for parallelized versions of major bioinformatics libraries and applications, MPI, XGrid, and Sun Grid Engine*
    • Beowulf cluster of 67 Quad-Core blade nodes*
    • 24-processor Opteron Linux Cluster with Gigibit Ethernet interconnect switch*
    • Chemical simulation packages including Gaussian, AMBER, and CHARMM

*Servers with attached RAIDs housed in a dedicated Server Room with UPS, redundant cooling systems, remote monitoring and gigabit ethernet

Genomics

    • 16 capillary ABI 3130XL sequencer
    • Agilent bioanalyzer
    • Nanodrop
    • Real-time thermal cyclers
    • High speed centrifuges
    • Digital imaging systems for visualization of DNA and protein gels
    • Microarray Core Facility (planned)

Microscopy/Histology

    • Fluorescence Microscopes with digital cameras
    • Electron Microscopy Core Facility (for scanning and transmission electron microscopy)
    • Nikon Confocal Microscope
    • Microtome, Cryostat, Paraffin Embedding Station (planned)

Hormone and other biochemical analyses

    • Gamma counter for 125I RIA and other gamma-radionuclide emission protocols
    • Multi-functional plate analyzer capable of absorbance, fluorescence, fluorescence polarization, and luminescence
    • Hitachi autoanalyzer capable of over 100 biochemical analyses from serum/plasma, urine and media including electrolytes, glucose, lipids, total protein, host of enzymes, creatinine, and urea

Flow Cytometry

    • Becton Dickinson FACSAria High Speed Cell Sorter with ACDU option to allow for sorting into plates or slides
    • Guava Technologies EasyCyte Flow Cytometry Analyzer

Proteomics

    • Mass spectrometer
    • NMR or Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

Biotelemetry

    • For conscious, continuous and unrestrained cardiovascular monitoring of blook pressure and heart rate in rodents

Small Animal Facility

    • House rodents using both conventional and isolation cage units, as well as 36 metabolic cages for rates
    • Cesium Irradiator
    • Temporary facilities at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories (LLNL) also available