Bioscience Technology Facility Update Winter 2013
The Bioscience Technology Facility provides you and your organisation with access to expertise, equipment and training in genomics, bioinformatics, proteomics, protein production, molecular interactions, imaging, and flow cytometry.
Below are some recent highlights:
A novel means of label-free imaging for easy cell tracking and growth analysis, even through plastic cell culture dishes, is now available.
Working with PhaseFocus, the Imaging & Cytometry lab report the novel applications of ptychography to biological samples, some of which have been published in Nature Scientific Reports. The work is being extended through a new Knowledge Transfer Partnership.
We can now offer improved digital pathology / histology capabilities through our new, automated slide scanner, the Zeiss AxioScan, in the Imaging & Cytometry lab .
Both bright field and fluorescence detection are available. Up to 100 slides can be processed per batch and analysis is greatly assisted through the TissueGnostics automated analysis software that is also available.
Absolute quantiation of small molecules, for example drugs and metabolites, is now available in our Proteomics Lab following the installation of an additional mass spectrometer within the Centre of Excellence in Mass Spectrometry .
Projects to date have involved drug analysis in serum and earth worms!
Our high throughput DNA sequencing service using the Ion Torrent system is now fully established in the Genomics Lab . Recent work has included:
- Environmental metagenomics
- Species abundacy profiling
- Bacterial genome resequencing
Our new solubility screen offered by the Protein Production Lab is proving to be a winner with our customers. The vectors and protocols allow us to rapidly select the optimum conditions for the production of soluble and active proteins in a bacterial expression system, a step that can often block a whole project.
Several recent projects have benefitted, including one involved in the production of target enzymes for biofuels.
Our Molecular Interactions Lab can provide rapid analysis of the molecular weight profile of your proteins using MALLS (Multi-Angle Laser Light Scattering).
Recent projects have allowed the rapid identification of different aggregation states within a sample.
We are now starting our campaigns to source new industrial placements for our Undergraduate Year-Away Programme (to start summer/autumn 2014) and our Masters Placements (to start April/May 2014 for 16-24 weeks). There is no obligation to provide a student stipend for the Masters Placements. If you would like further information please contact Lorna Warnock, our Industry Liaison Officer: lorna.warnock@york.ac.uk
Further Information for undergraduate year-away: www.york.ac.uk/biology/undergraduate/industry/year-in-industry/
Technical Training Courses:
As well as providing bespoke training, our open training courses to be held in the near future include:
Python Programming January 2014
Confocal Microscopy April 2014
Further information and contacts for:
General:
btf-enquiries@york.ac.uk
Bioinformatics
peter.ashton@york.ac.uk
stuart.priest@york.ac.uk
Genomics
peter.ashton@york.ac.uk
Imaging & Cytometry
peter.otoole@york.ac.uk
Molecular Interactions
andrew.leech@york.ac.uk
Protein Production
jared.cartwright@york.ac.uk
Proteomics
jerry.thomas@york.ac.uk
david.ashford@york.ac.uk
Director of the TF
john.pillmoor@york.ac.uk
Department of Biology
University of York
York
YO10 5DD
Tel: 01904 32 8500
Fax: 01904 328804