Core Resources
The Benaroya Research Institute Core Laboratories are vitally important shared resources that provide access to the latest technology and equipment for all of BRI’s researchers without unnecessary duplication of equipment. BRI has established the core laboratory facilities to increase the efficiency of producing materials for scientific work. Led by experts in their fields, each laboratory employs cutting-edge technology to develop the high quality products needed for scientific discovery. The state-of-the-art facilities and high-speed, highly automated biotechnical equipment accelerates the rate of research dramatically.
Some resources of the BRI Core Laboratories are open to members of the scientific community outside of BRI.
The Array Core Laboratory is an Affymetrix microarray core laboratory. The laboratory allows scientists to analyze the expression of up to 42,000 genes from a single source.
Clinical Core Laboratory
The Clinical Core Laboratory (CCL) at BRI provides sample processing, archiving and distribution services for clinical research projects conducted at BRI. We also provide limited standardized testing of those samples.
Flow Cytometry Core Laboratory
The Flow Cytometry Core Laboratory analyzes, selects, sorts and identifies cells in a variety of parameters.
The Genome Resource Center
The Genome Resource Center (GRC) provides expertise in BAC (bacterial artificial chromosomes) library construction. Robotic equipment produces these colonies, which are genomic "libraries" that contain all of the DNA for a particular species—arrayed in a manner that allows specific fragments to be studied.
The Histology/Imaging Core Laboratory
The Histology/Imaging (H/I) Core Laboratory provides investigators at BRI with state-of-the-art services for tissue preparation and image collection. Histological preparation is accomplished with high-throughput, automated equipment for tissue embedding, sectioning, and staining. A variety of light microscopes and other equipment with complementary ranges of magnification and modes of illumination are available for image collection and analysis. The H/I Core helps investigators at BRI to better understand how cell behavior and gene expression in tissues and organs are affected by disease processes.
Sequencing and Genotyping Core Laboratory
The Sequencing and Genotyping Core provides on-site sequencing, a range of SNP genotyping services, and high resolution HLA typing. Core resources include an ABI PRISM 3100 Genetic Analyzer, two Transgenomic WAVE System 4500HT dHPLCs, and a Beckman Coulter Biomek FX robotic workstation. The Biomek FX is also available for a variety of large-scale projects including DNA and RNA preparation and manipulation.
The Tetramer Core Laboratory
The Tetramer Core Laboratory provides MHC class II tetramer reagents for collaborators both within and outside BRI. These tetramers are synthetic protein conjugates that allow the direct detection of antigen specific T cells by flow cytometry. Tetramers produced in our facility have been used to detect CD4+ (helper) T cells and have facilitated the study of viral immunity, autoimmune diseases, allergic responses, and cancer.