Research Cores and Centers
The University of Missouri provides many excellent research facilities that are available to MMI faculty, staff and students.
Personnel in the Bioinformatics Core provide biostatistics and bioinformatics support. The UM Bioinformatics Consortium (UMBC) provides centralized high-performance computing systems, high-capacity data storage and analytical tools that can be used over high-speed networking connections in support of research.
Cell and Immunology Core located in the Medical Sciences Building provides services for tissue culture, hybridoma preparation and monoclonal antibody preparation. In addition, it has five state-of-the-art flow cytometry instruments.
DNA Core located in the Life Sciences Center provide genotyping, SNP detection and analysis and microarray services. The Core offers both routine DNA sequencing services and an ultra high-throughput Illumina platform capable of generating more than one billion bases of data in a single run. The DNA core also maintains a freezer inventory program for molecular biology enzymes and reagents; and provides support for computer analysis of nucleic acid and protein sequence data.
Electron Microscopy Core has multiple instruments for scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The EM Core provides investigators in life sciences and material sciences with consultation, training, access to instrumentation and extensive services.
Molecular Cytology Core located in the Life Sciences Center has up-to-date facilities for confocal and wide-field light microscopy, laser-capture microdissection and image analysis. It is available for all types of light microscopy, immunocytochemistry, in situ hybridization and image processing.
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Core supports investigators in the use of NMR for structural elucidation and for the study of chemical and biological reactions. Instrumentation includes a new Bruker Advance Ultra Stabilized 800 MHz spectrometer, a Varian Inova 600 MHz spectrometer, a Bruker DRX 500 MHz spectrometer, an ARX 250MHz spectrometer and a DRX 300 MHz (widebore) spectrometer with solid state capability. All spectrometers have multinuclear capabilities.
Proteomics Core located in the Life Sciences Center has multiple state-of-the-art mass spectrometers plus expertise to perform all aspects of contemporary proteomic studies as well as mass spectrometry of individual proteins. It also has extensive capabilities for quantitative 2D gel electrophoresis, differential protein labeling, and protein fragmentation and sequencing. Watch a video tour of the facility led by Brian Mooney, associate director of the center.
Structural Biology Core (SBC) offers assistance in unraveling the three-dimensional structure of biological molecules by providing technical expertise in peptide synthesis, protein purification and crystallization, and by providing instrumentation for NMR Spectroscopy and state of the art X-ray diffraction equipment. MU is a member of the Molecular Biology Consortium that built and operates Beamline 4.2.2 of the Advanced Light Source at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. 4.2.2 is a state-of-the-art tunable superbend beamline for high-resolution diffraction studies of macromolecular crystals.
Transgenic Animal Core can create transgenic mice by pronuclear injection and embryonic stem cell targeting.