Laboratory Support ServicesDirector: Edmund C. Lattime, Ph.D. From the beginning, the leadership of CINJ has made it a high priority to provide state-of-the-art facilities for its members. Increasingly, laboratory and translational cancer research has been aided by new advances in laboratory instrumentation. This resulted in increased efficiency by allowing use of expensive equipment by the maximal number of investigators while also minimizing space requirements. Equipment requirements are reviewed on an annual basis with new and replacement instruments purchased annually. The Laboratory Support Services Shared Resource provides support for shared instrumentation, which guarantees that the instruments are maintained in optimal working order with regular validation. Objectives The overall purpose of the Laboratory Support Services Shared Resource is to provide centralized, high-quality and cost-effective, services to support laboratory research of members and shared resources of CINJ. The specific goals of this shared resource are as follows:
Services Glassware Washing: Glassware is collected, decontaminated, washed, sterilized and returned to CINJ investigators and Shared Resource Managers by the Laboratory Support Services staff. Tissue Culture: CINJ provides centralized resources for tissue culture that include technical consultation by the resource managers and technician. The sharing of this equipment (e.g., biosafety hoods, incubators, microscopes) saves time and money for individual members who do not have to purchase or maintain them. Because many members and their laboratory personnel (currently over 100 users) share these facilities, appropriate care is essential for ensuring reproducible results. In addition to day-to-day monitoring, the service also arranges regular recertification and decontamination if necessary. Certification of autoclave function is also provided. In addition, the facility provides centralized liquid nitrogen storage for tissues and cell lines eliminating the need for individual tanks, dewars, etc., further enhancing efficiency. The Resource Manager meets with investigators and technical staff to teach fundamentals of tissue culture, including sterile technique, and proper use of the hoods and incubators. Centralized Water and Carbon Dioxide: CINJ provides members with centralized access to deionized water purified through a Milli-Q-Water Purification System (3-ZD5411595). This system provides pyrogen-free, analytical grade water for use in routine experiments (i.e., preparation of buffers, drugs, reagents) as well as purity required for HPLC and FPLC experimentation. Carbon dioxide is centrally supplied and piped to the tissue culture incubators in the shared space and individual laboratories. The Laboratory Support Services supports this Water Purification System. Vivarium: CINJ dedicated 3,000 sq. ft. as part of its expansion to a state-of-the-art vivarium operated as a barrier facility to house mice used by CINJ investigators. It is operated as a satellite of the RWJMS AALAC-approved vivarium and meets all requirements of regulatory authorities. CCSG support is used to support staff, to validate laminar flow safety cabinets used in the procedure rooms, and purchase supplies for normal animal husbandry. Funds used in this way result in a 25% reduction in per diem fees charged to CINJ investigators. Equipment Glassware Washing: (4) Reliance Model 400 Glassware Washers Tissue Culture: (3) Custom Biogenic large capacity liquid nitrogen cryogenic freezer Shared Instrumentation and Equipment: (3) Hope Film Processors High Speed and Ultracentrifuges:
(4) Microplate readers with computer controls Vivarium: (4) Baker Biosafety Cabinets for procedures Centralized Carbon Dioxide for Tissue Culture Incubators and Water Purification System: (5) Milli-Q-Water Purification Systems (5-ZD5411595) Contact: Director: Edmund C. Lattime, Ph.D.
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Shared Resources
Analytical Cytometry / Image Analysis Office of Human Research Services Centralized Education & Training Services Protein Structure Analysis and Modeling Pharmacokinetics / Pharmacodynamics New Jersey Family Medicine Research Network Survey Research and Qualitative Methods All the above Facilities are supported by CINJ’s Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG)
Additional Shared Resources
Rutgers Center for Operations Research Rutgers University Cell & DNA Repository The Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute (EOHSI) Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine (CABM) Laboratory for Cancer Research Biotechnology Center for Agriculture and the Environment Institute for Advanced Study (IAS)
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