BSL-3 and FACS
The Biosafety Level 3 Lab provides a safe and appropriate environment for the investigation of infectious agents such as HIV on the Meharry Medical College campus. The design of the lab limits exposure to such agents, and laboratory personnel have specific training in proper handling procedures. There are four biosafety cabinets and six CO2 incubators inside the lab, which holds six people to work in the lab simultaneously. The Beckman Optima L-90K Ultracentrifuge is for sample processing. The free-standing centrifuge has a SW60Ti and SW41 rotors.
FACSAria III
The FACSAria III from Becton Dickinson includes three solid state lasers: blue (488nm), red (633nm) and violet (405). The system has the ability to detect five colors from the blue laser, two colors from the red laser, and two colors from the violet laser for a total of nine simultaneous fluorescent colors. The detection optics includes BD’s patented fiber-coupled octagon and trigon technology. The digital acquisition system allows inter-and intra-beam compensation as well as the ability to threshold on any parameter. The automated cell deposition unit (ACDU) can accommodate slides and 6, 24, 48, 96 and 384-well plates. The major function of the FACSAria III is cell sorting in the Core.
FACSCalibur
The FACSCalibur from Becton Dickinson, a four-color, dual-laser, benchtop flow cytometry system that provides cell analysis. This fully integrated multiparameter system can also perform a range of functions. To meet the investigators’ throughput and productivity requirements, the device comes with innovative dual laser technology, powerful software, and an automated sample loader option.
| Service | Pricing |
| Sample data acquisition with FACS Calibur | $40/hr (15-minute minimum) |
| Cell sorting with FACS Aria III | $ /hr + setup fee |
| FAC analysis or sorting for RCMI funded project | free |
| Computer/software for FAC data processing | free |
| BSL-3 and ultracentrifugation | free |
| Training for using FACS Calibur and BSL-3 | free |
Acknowledgment
The BSL-3 and FACS Core is funded by Meharry RCMI program (NIH Award Number G12MD007586). The BSL-3 and FACS Core users must include an acknowledgment of NIH Award Number G12MD007586 in their related publication, press release, or other document. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
Online Reservation
FACS users can use the following link to view or make reservations for using the FACS Caliblur or Aria III. The newly added reservation can be modified within 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, the reservation will be locked, and only the FACS Core staff can make changes. If you want to change your reservation, please contact the FACS Core staff. Please indicate what machine (Caliblur or Aria) you are planning to use.
Contact BSL-3 and FACS
Bindong Liu, Ph.D.
Core Director
615.327.6877
bliu@mmc.edu
Julia Shao, M.D.
Senior Research Assistant
615.327.6872
qshao@mmc.edu