The HMS Department of Immunology has a microscopy suite with a variety of microscopes including confocal and fluorescent microscopes. Additional shared equipment includes several ultracentrifuges, Sorvall centrifuges, beta scintillation and gamma counters, spectrophotometers, real time RT-PCR machines, a nCounter for gene analysis, and a dark room with automatic film processor.
The HMS Department of Immunology has a flow cytometry facility with cell analysis and sorting capabilities. The facility had an LSR-II analyzer with three lasers and a high throughput sampler for multiparameter flow analysis, FACS-Calibur for routine four-color analysis, a FACSAria for high speed cell sorting equipped with four laser and detectors for 14-color discrimination and 4-way sorting, and a 4 laser MoFlo Astrios cell sorter with 18 parameter 6 way sorting.
The Mouse Engineering Core, overseen by Dr. Arlene Sharpe, provides gene targeting and microinjection services. This includes microinjection of small or BAC-sized DNA constructs for transgenic mouse generation, microinjection of lentiviral vectors for lentigenics, and CRISPR/Cas9 mediated mouse engineering. The core will also generate targeted ES cell lines using vectors provided by investigators and inject these targeted ES cells, or targeted ES cells purchased by investigators.
The Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center Rodent Histopathology Core focuses on non-human pathology, primarily rodent, and performs conventional histopathology of paraffin-embedded, hematoxylin, and eosin stained slides as well as conventional special stains such as PAS, trichrome, and luxol fast blue/cresyl violet.
The CyTOF Core is a multi-institutional core facility. It is located at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and staffed with a dedicated CyTOF operator familiar with instrument operation, CyTOF staining, and data analysis. A dedicated users group is optimizing protocols for preparation of metal-tagged antibodies and staining.
The DF/HCC Core Facilities are central or “shared” laboratories that provide members critical services to advance their research. Each of the cores is capable of performing a specific set of experimental functions that enable DF/HCC investigators to perform experiments faster and more accurately. The core facilities are a cornerstone of DF/HCC, and they promote cross-institutional collaboration and the effective translation of discoveries into novel approaches to cancer research.
