Biomedical researchers in the Science Faculty have access to very high quality and recently refurbished laboratory facilities. Some BRN facilities can offer contract services for external organisations, please contact us for more information.
Facilities include:
- Fully serviced histology suite with paraffin wax processing, section staining, vacuum embedding and cryostat sectioning.
- Light and fluorescence microscopy, including confocal microscopes and 3D image processing packages.
- A self-contained suite which houses three transmission electron microscopes (JEOL 100kV, 120kV and 200kV) and a Zeiss FEG scanning electron microscope.
- Cell biology work is supported by a fluorescent activated cell analyser, time-lapse video imaging system, a cell micro-injection system and a MBF Neurolucida system.
- Specialised cell and tissue culture laboratories providing containment up to level 3 to work with primary or established animal and human cells or tissues.
- A specialist electrophysiology laboratory which uses both intracellular and extracellular recording techniques to record and manipulate neuronal tissue.
- Behavioural suite enabling the assessment of learning, memory, attention and motor ability in rodents.
- Facilities for studies in human participants, including testing rooms for cognitive studies, Qualitative EEG, and the Biomedical Online Research Network ('BORN') comprising an online data collection facility and a research volunteer register.
BRN is also well equipped for research in organic, inorganic, physical, biological, health-related and analytical chemistry. Facilities include NMR (300 MHz and 400 MHz – solid state and MAS) and ESR spectroscopy, Faraday susceptibility balance, X-ray (powder) diffraction, Mossbauer spectroscopy, TPR, FT-IR, fluorescence and UV spectrophotometry, GC-MS, HPLC (coupled to MS, fluorescence, electrochemical and photodiode detectors), and Atomic Force Microscopy.
Other centralised research facilities include support for microbiology, DNA sequencing, real-time PCR and a Typhoon imager for quantitative nucleic acid detection and other fluorescent studies, cryopreservation, scintillation and gamma counting, fluorescence and luminescence cell based assays, photographic facilities (print and X-ray) and digital image processing.
Experiments involving radiochemical work are performed in both 'controlled' and 'supervised' areas to comply with current legislation
The laboratory complex has a purpose built seminar room for research seminars, meetings and journal clubs.