West Virginia University (WVU), Morgantown, West Virginia (WV)
WVU was established as a land grant institution in 1867 and is one of only a limited number of public universities in the nation that serves its state as both a research and land grant institution. Ranked in the highest tier of national doctoral research universities (R1 status) by the Carnegie Foundation for Advancement of Teaching, WVU is the state’s flagship institution for both research and patient care. WVU faculty conducted research totaling over $275 million annually in sponsored contracts and research grants. WVU is one of only 11 land grant institutions in the nation that offer a single comprehensive health sciences campus with five accredited Schools: Medicine, Pharmacy, Dentistry, Public Health, and Nursing.
Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center (HSC)
The HSC has 3 clinical campuses across the State (Morgantown campus, Charleston Division, and Eastern Division), serving nearly 4,000 students pursuing advanced health-related degrees, with 47 degree and certificate programs, including Medicine (with programs in occupational therapy, medical technology, physical therapy, exercise physiology, public and community health, pathology assistants, and others) Nursing, Pharmacy, and Dentistry. The HSC is home to 14 Ph.D. granting programs, 7 of which have a strong biomedical focus while having the luxury of ease of connection to clinical colleagues and mentors. WVU HSC research is focused on diseases prevalent in the State, including blindness, cancer, cardiovascular, neurologic, metabolic diseases, and addiction.
Laboratory Accessibility and Compliance Statement
The foundational/basic science research facilities contained within the WVU HSC maintain laboratories that are accessible to all, aligned with guidance from the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Research facilities are contained within 5 HSC-associated buildings: HSC North, HSC South, Erma Byrd Biomedical Research Facility (BMRF), Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute (RNI), and the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH; not a WVU HSC facility but one in which adjunct HSC faculty and graduate students work). Research laboratories ensure adequate aisle width and knee-to-toe clearance under workstations, as well as provide adjustable height workstations. Of all research faculty, more than 60% of research mentors and preceptors have ADA compliant laboratory workstations of a fixed height (i.e., 28-34 inches). Further, 80% of research faculty have portable and adjustable laboratory benches, either within their laboratory or available for use on their floor. The availability of adjustable laboratory furniture throughout all research facilities is a priority, and changes to existing laboratory settings to meet student and faculty accommodations can be made efficiently. Additional considerations for laboratory safety and ADA compliance include: unencumbered access to chemical safety showers and eye wash stations for those in wheelchairs, height-adjustable biosafety cabinets, additional lighting in lowlight settings that do not receive natural light or for those with low vision, and strobe lights on fire alarms for those with hearing loss.
Core Research Facilities
Animal Models and Imaging Facility
The Animal Models and Imaging Facility (AMIF) is located in the WVU HSC vivarium and provides small animal imaging and technical support for preclinical research models. An IVIS SpectrumCT provides 2D optical imaging, 3D optical tomography for bioluminescence and fluorescence, multispectral fluorescence and spectral unmixing, and low dose microCT. A VisualSonics Vevo F2 high-frequency micro-ultrasound is equipped with 4 solid-state linear array transducers which provide down to 30 µm axial resolution, as well as Doppler, 3D, 4D and contrast imaging modes including ECG and respiration gating. An Xstrahl XenX platform for in vivo small animal X-ray irradiation is available for administration of targeted or whole-body radiation therapy. A Bruker SkyScan 1272 is available for high-resolution microCT imaging and an EchoMRI is used for body composition analysis. A Comprehensive Lab Animal Monitoring calorimetry system (CLAMS) within a home cage enclosure monitors oxygen and carbon dioxide concentrations, as well as locomotion and feeding mass while providing temperature and light control for metabolic studies. An Aspect M7 MRI is available for non-invasive, high resolution structural imaging in mice. The facility staff provides additional services such as cell injections, colony management and tissue collections to assist investigators with their animal experiments. Two offline workstations are equipped with all of the software for visualization and analysis of data collected in the facility. The AMIF staff maintains compliance with approved animal protocols, in addition to the core’s approved standard operating procedures, to ensure the health and welfare of the research animals.
Bioinformatics Core
The Bioinformatics Core facilitates biomedical research by providing timely and high-quality bioinformatics service, delivers bioinformatics knowledge and skills to our students, and promotes collaborations among faculty across the university and the state. The director, Dr. Michael Hu, has over 15 years of collaborative research experience with wet-bench scientists and has contributed to 100 publications as of 2023, many in prestigious journals such as Nature, Cell, Nature Immunology, Nature Methods, Immunity, Cell Stem Cell, PNAS, and JAAD. The Bioinformatics Core commits to help faculty and trainees through advice on experiment design, data processing pipelines, customized data analysis, data presentation and interpretation, integration with public datasets, bioinformatics support for grant applications, and training workshops. Services from the Core now include NGS data analysis (e.g., RNA-Seq analysis, single-cell RNA-Seq analysis, ChIP-Seq, DNase-Seq/ATAC-Seq, Hi-C, single-cell ChIP-Seq, single-cell Multiome analysis and ATAC-Seq analysis, microbiome analysis, genome assembly and annotation, microRNA and exome-sequencing analysis, etc.), AI/GPT applications, and public database exploration (data upload to GEO and mine datasets with public databases).
BioNano Research Facility
The BioNano Research Facility of the WVU Shared Research Facilities provides access to instrumentation for researchers at the intersection of biology and advanced materials. This facility houses instrumentation for cell cultures, cell imaging, biomolecules and biomaterials. The major instruments include a Thermo Scientific Vanquish UHPLC coupled with a Thermo Scientific Q Exactive Orbitrap mass spectrometer for qualitative or quantitative measurements of proteomics, metabolomics and organic compound molecules; a Thermo Scientific Easy nLC1000 nanoLC for single cell proteomics analysis; Bio-Rad 1D/2D electrophoresis and imaging systems for protein separation and characterization; an Olympus IX81 inverted confocal fluorescent for 3D cell/tissue imaging and Leica BMI6000 inverted fluorescence microscope for live cell real-time imaging; a Horiba Fluorolog-3 spectrofluorometer for fluorescent characterization; a Jasco J-810 Circular Dichroism spectrometer for protein secondary structural or conformational characterization; a Thermo SpeedVac concentrator for drying biological sample; and standard cell culture and protein extraction equipment (CO2 incubators, ultrasound homogenizers, biological safety cabinets, refrigerators, −20 °C and −80 °C freezers, cryostorage, a MilliQ water purification system, autoclave, water bath, and sonicator).
Biospecimen Translational Research Analysis Core
The WVU-CI Biospecimen and Translational Analysis Core (BioTRAC) acquires and processes high-quality, accurately timed patient samples (e.g., blood, urine, tissue, etc). Sample processing is tailored to the needs of each investigator — from simple logging and storage to advanced procedures such as FFPE tissue processing or isolation of live immune cell populations.
Core functions include:
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Assisting with protocol design and sample collection timelines
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Developing and implementing specimen handling procedures
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Coordinating specimen and correlative data acquisition
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Serving as a liaison between clinicians and research teams
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Processing, storing, and shipping specimens
All samples are paired with robust, de-identified clinical data, including demographics, medical history, pathology, treatment characteristics, and long-term outcomes. This integration supports both translational and correlative analysis. For select studies, BioTRAC may also assist with patient consent.
BioTRAC staff provide linkage between biospecimens and the WVU Cancer Institute’s OnCore clinical trials management system. BioTRAC personnel also have secure access to WVU Medicine’s Epic electronic health record system, enabling the collection of protocol-specified patient information and creating a seamless translational bridge between the clinic and the laboratory.
Biostatistics, Epidemiology & Research Design Core
The WVCTSI Biostatistics, Epidemiology & Research Design (BERD) Core provides a centrally coordinated means of analytics support for clinical, population, and translational approaches to research. WVCTSI provides members with a variety of biostatistical, epidemiological, and study design services, as well as custom clinical datasets from multiple sources. The most recent additions that researchers have access to are study design, machine learning, and spatial statistics experts. Additionally, members have access to innovative systems and platforms to assist with their research, data collection, and analysis. These include brand new HIPPA compliant geospatial servers as well as a HIPPA compliant high-performance computing cluster. Services also include assistance with grant-writing, manuscript preparation, design of data collection systems, development and application of experimental research designs, and complex analytical methods. The core’s mission is creating research infrastructure to improve health outcomes in West Virginia.
Center for Advanced Imaging
The Center for Advanced Imaging is operated by the West Virginia University Department of Radiology on the basement level of the HSC-South. The PET/CT facility uses two Siemens Medical Systems mCT PET/CT scanners. The systems are capable of quantitative whole-body clinical imaging. In addition, the Center for Advanced Imaging houses a General Electric Medical Systems PETtrace cyclotron capable of producing common PET radionuclides (18F, 11C and 13N). The Center for Advanced Imaging MRI facility operates a Siemens Medical Systems 1.5T Verio scanner. Small animal PET imaging is available with a system developed at WVU. In addition, a BeaQuant-S autoradiography system is available to make 2D images of the distribution of a beta-emitting material in biological samples.
Cleanroom Facilities
The Cleanroom Facilities of the WVU Shared Research Facilities, located in the Engineering Sciences Building and in White Hall, are laboratories for fabricating micrometer-scale electrical, photonic and MEMS devices, as well as the growth of specialty materials. The Engineering Sciences Building suite of labs consists of 2,100 sf of clean space and accompanying support spaces. These clean spaces include class 100, class 1,000 and two class 10,000 rooms. The facilities are capable of photolithography, wet chemical processing, metallization and deposition through e-beam evaporation or sputtering, reactive ion etching, thermal processing, wire-bonding, and sample packaging. Equipment for process related to metrology includes mechanical and optical profilometers and a high-resolution digital microscope. The cleanroom suite in White Hall consists of 950 sf of clean space and 330 sf of entry lab preparatory space. This clean space includes a class 1,000 space, a class 10,000 space, and necessary support spaces. These facilities are capable of photolithography, Rf and DC sputter deposition of metals, magnetic materials, and oxide materials, PLD with RHEED for growth of complex oxide materials and sample dicing.
Clinical Research Resources and Facilities Core
The Clinical Research Resources and Facilities core (CRRF) provides resources to assist with developing, implementing, and supporting clinical trials. WVCTSI works extensively with in-house research support personnel to ensure clinicians and other researchers have the tools they need to successfully plan for and conduct clinical trials. The CRRF provides support at every stage of the clinical trials process, including contract negotiations, study coordination, budgeting and accounting, regulation guidance, and protocol development, as well as biospecimen collection, storage, and shipping. There are services for ClinicalTrials.gov support, training, including PIs and study personnel and auditing/monitoring clinical research. The PI Academy provides a structured research curriculum to facilitate understanding PI responsibilities in clinical trials and also features an IDEA lab to solicit feedback from a panel of research experts. Additionally, the CRRF is pleased to provide mentor open office hours twice monthly.
Clinical Research Unit
The West Virginia University Cancer Institute's Clinical Research Unit (CRU) is dedicated to providing the services and expertise that investigators need to conduct clinical trials and expand the growing body of biomedical knowledge. The CRU offers a wide range of administrative and budgetary services to both clinical investigators and private industry. Because WVU is the state's primary research institution, our physicians represent a comprehensive range of specializations. Our staff has a sterling reputation for excellent patient care as well as timely delivery of valid and reliable data. Unlike many other academic health centers, WVU Medicine provides primary, secondary and tertiary care services to a large, stable population of rural patients. Our patient population ensures a high degree of follow-up care and study completion that many other clinical trials facilities cannot offer.
Electron Microscopy Facility (HSC)
The WVU Electron Microscopy Core Facility in Pathology provides instrumentation and scientific support for electron microscopy needs. A JEOL JEM 1400Flash transmission electron microscope with an AMT 15 MP NanoSprint15L-MarkII digital camera and imaging system is used to perform transmission electron microscopic analysis of human or animal tissues and cells. State-of-the-art preparatory equipment to process, embed and cut thick and thin sections for TEM is available in the lab. Sample preparation services are also offered.
Electron Microscopy Facilities (SRF)
The Electron Microscopy Facilities of the WVU Shared Research Facilities maintains unique capabilities for electron beam characterization. These facilities offer a series of investigative techniques such as high magnification surface morphology, sub-micron highresolution imaging, elemental and phase mapping, energy dispersive spectrometry, and electron diffraction. Ancillary instruments allow samples to be prepared for microscopy from a wide variety of materials and biological sources. Techniques include cutting, grinding, polishing, ion-milling, carbon and metal coating, prefixing, fixing and postfixing, staining, embedding and sectioning. The facilities’ major equipment includes a JEOL JEM-2100 transmission electron microscope operating at 200kV, 120kV and 80kV, and a JEOL JSM-7600F scanning electron microscope.
Flow Cytometry & Single Cell Core Facility
The Flow Cytometry & Single Cell Core Facility (FCSCCF) is located on the 2nd floor of HSC-North and provides instrumentation and scientific support for cell analysis and sorting. This facility is equipped with 3 flow cytometers, 2 analyzers and 1 sorter. The high-speed bench top sorter is a Becton-Dickenson (BD) FACSAria III that can detect 18 parameters (16 fluorescent markers and two scatter parameters) and sort into 4 separate populations or single sort into 96 well plates. The FACSAria III is housed in a biosafety cabinet allowing for the sorting and analysis of human cell lines and primary human cells under BSL-2+ conditions. One of the analyzers in the facility is a 4-laser LSRFortessa capable of detecting 17 colors using violet, blue, yellow-green and red lasers. The LSRFortessa is equipped with an FSC PMT and a high throughput system. The second analyzer is a full spectrum flow cytometer (Cytek Aurora). The Aurora has violet, blue, and red lasers as well as a high throughput system. It can detect 30 fluorescent parameters and three scatter parameters (FSC, SSC off the blue laser, and SSC off the violet laser). All flow cytometers are maintained under manufacturer’s service contacts.
The facility houses a Malvern Panalytical NanoSight N300 for submicron particle detection including nanoparticles, exosomes and microvessicles from 10 nm to 2 microns in size. The NanoSight NS300 has 4 lasers (405 nm, 488 nm, 532 nm and 642 nm) allowing for detection of fluorescently-labeled particles as well as bright field imaging. The facility also has a Malvern Panalytical Zetasizer Nano Z to measure zeta potential (the charge on particles in a solution) via electrophoretic mobility.
For single cell molecular analysis, the facility has a 10x Genomics Chromium X for single cell barcoding and genomic applications such as single cell RNA-seq and single cell ATAC-seq. For spatial transcriptomics, has a 10x Genomics CytAssist for transferring of FFPE, fresh frozen, or fixed frozen tissue sections from regular slides to the 10x Genomics slides. In addition, the facility offers the 10x Genomics Visium whole transcription service.
Other instrumentation in the facility includes three Miltenyi Biotec instruments. A gentleMACS Octo Dissociator for generating single cell suspensions or homogenates from tissues, a Miltenyi Biotec autoMACS Pro Separator in a biosafety cabinet for sterile magnetic cell sorting and a Miltenyi Biotec MultiMACS Cell24 Separator Plus for semi-automatic, high-throughput magnetic cell separation. For multiplex analyte detection, the facility is equipped with an MSD QuickPlex SQ120 and a Luminex MagPix.
The Flow Cytometry & Single Cell Core Facility has several software packages including FCS Express 7, BD Diva 9.0, and Spectroflo software v 3.03 for flow cytometry data acquisition and analysis. The facility routinely performs analysis of both eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells for expression of intracellular and extracellular proteins, cell cycle, cell quantitation, cytokine production, and cell sorting based on antigen expression or cell cycle.
Genomics Core Facility
The Genomics Core Facility, located in the Life Sciences Building on the downtown campus, offers full-service gene expression profiling and DNA sequencing by both Sanger sequencing and Next Generation Sequencing (Illumina MiSeq i100Plus). Larger scale sequencing is performed in coordination with the Genomics Core Facility at Marshall University on an Illumina NextSeq2000. The core performs genome-scale sequencing, including deep sequencing and de novo assembly of complex eukaryotic genomes, metagenomic sequencing of microbial communities, and genome-wide polymorphism detection and genotyping. The facility also provides access to high-capacity bioinformatics servers and software capable of analyzing genome-scale data with bioinformatic support from Dr. Michael Hu and his lab personnel which are located on the HSC campus. The Director, Ryan Percifield, is available for advice on appropriate experimental design.
High Performance Computing Facility West Virginia University
High Performance Computing (HPC) shared research facility. The HPC shared facility provides access to cluster computing resources to facilitate computational research spanning biophysics, chemistry, fluid dynamics, astronomy, and materials science and has been operational since 2010. The “Spruce Knob” cluster is a 3376-core cluster spread over 176 nodes. Typical compute nodes consist of dual Intel Xeon E5-2650 V2 Processors for a total of 16 cores per node and 64GB of RAM. Personnel have access to the entire cluster for 4-hour runs, and they also have access to the community nodes (47 nodes, 752 cores and three GPU nodes) for carrying out simulations. A second compute cluster (“Thorny Flat”) was commissioned at the beginning of 2019 with funds from an NSF MRI grant. It is a 6,400 core cluster with 47 Nvidia P6000 GPUs using a shared Intel Omnipath 100Gbps Interconnect with mixed architecture. Personnel have access to the entire cluster for 4-hour runs, similar to Spruce Knob. Starting in Fall 2022, lab personnel will have access to a new GPU cluster, funded by an NSF MRI grant. Students will have training on and access to the cluster. Finally, the facility has a Research Data Depot, a centrally managed, reliable, secure and fast data storage system specifically designed to meet the university’s diverse research storage needs. Designed to handle all size of files, from small to very large, researchers who use this service will have access to their data both on and off campus and can also use it to collaborate with researchers outside of WVU.
In vivo Multifunctional Magnetic Resonance Center
The In vivo Multifunctional Magnetic Resonance (IMMR) center provides instrumentation and scientific support for in vivo assessment of tissue chemical microenvironment in animal models of disease with a focus on tumor microenvironment. Major instruments for in vivo studies are located in the HSC vivarium and include: (i) L-band EPR (Magnettech, Germany) equipped with surface coil resonators for spectroscopic measurements of paramagnetic probes in living subjects such as mice; (ii) Overhauser- enhanced MRI (OMRI, Japan Redox Ltd) for functional imaging of paramagnetic probes in living mice; (iii) Compact MRI system (ICON, Bruker, Germany) for mouse imaging that provides anatomical resolution, and (iv) locally built pre-clinical functional 800 MHz EPR imaging system (room 3100 HSC-N). The center also operates a clinical EPR instrument for human studies consisting of an L-band magnet (pole gap 50 cm; magnetic field 41.4 +/- 10 m; modulation frequency 20 kHz), and associated electronics. The clinical instrument is housed in a recently constructed dedicated examination room on the ground floor of the Biomedical Research Facility, conveniently accessible to participants in clinical research studies.
Inhalation Facility
The WVU HSC Inhalation Facility is designed to generate artificial atmospheres of inhalable toxicants under tightly controlled conditions for pulmonary exposures in experimental animal models (rats and mice). These exposures replicate environmental and occupational inhalation exposures in humans. The Inhalation Facility is comprised of four rooms within 4040 Health Sciences Center (North) for animal housing and exposures including: field collections from mountain top mining, fracking or heavy vehicular traffic areas; combustion emissions, printing emissions; and e cigarette/vaping. Real-time aerosol monitoring provides high resolution characterization of generated aerosols. This characterization includes particle size distributions, gas analyses and sampling for electron microscopy. Animals can be chronically instrumented for telemetry and drug delivery. The aerosols generated in these exposure chambers are ventilated through a multi-stage filtration system prior to being emitted into the general atmosphere directly above the HSC. This is a free-standing facility with dedicated HVAC, electrical, emergency power, and plumbing systems. It comprises approximately 2200 square feet, with capacity for approximately 140 rats or 400 mice across six exposure hoods. This multiple-hood setup allows for simultaneous execution of multiple research projects.
Library
The WVU Health Sciences Library supports the schools of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Dentistry and Public Health at the WVU Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center. It provides access to an extensive library collection, allowing users to connect to over 40,000 electronic journals and a growing collection of e-books. In addition, interlibrary loans are available for free to all faculty and students. The Health Sciences Library features 55 computer workstations, 8 computer-equipped study rooms and 2 computer classrooms. Reference librarians are available to assist with research needs.
Materials Characterization Facilities
The Materials Characterization Facilities of the WVU Shared Research Facilities provide users with instruments to characterize the structural, chemical, electrical and optical properties of materials. The facilities are equipped for X-ray diffractometry including a PANalytical X’Pert Pro powder XRD for identification of single-phase materials and multi-phase mixtures, and a Bruker D8 Discovery XRD for determining the crystal structure of solids, powders and thin films and for reciprocal space mapping. A Physical Electronics PHI 5000 VersaProbe x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy/ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy system is available for micro-area element composition and chemical state determination at a material surface. A Digilab FTS 7000 Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) spectrometer system is used for analyzing the chemical composition of micro/macro samples and qualitatively identifying molecules and functional groups. A Renishaw InVia Raman spectroscopy microscope is used to determine chemical composition, molecular structure and molecular interactions and for quantitative analysis of material chemical compositions. A J.A. Woollam M-2000U Ellipsometer is available for characterizing film thickness with Angstrom accuracy and for determining the optical constant of materials. Two atomic force microscopes, a Nanoscope MultiMode AFM and an Asylum MFP-3D AFM, are available for obtaining 3D surface topography at sub-nanometer scale resolution.
Metabolomics & Small Molecule Analysis Core
The Metabolomics & Small Molecule Analysis Core is a mass spectrometry facility housed in the School of Pharmacy on the Health Sciences campus. Instrumentation within the fee-for-service facility includes an AB Sciex ExionLC Ultra High Performance Liquid Chromatograph (UHPLC) in tandem with an AB Sciex QTRAP 5500 Mass Spectrometer (MS). The UPLC coupled to the MS provides sensitivity in the parts per billion (PPB) range for 2 µl volumes of liquid samples. This methodology is usually referred to as LC/MS/MS since the triple quadrupole MS selects ions in an initial step and identifies and quantitates them in a second step. In addition, a new Orbitrap Exploris 240 is an exact mass analyzer with capacity for determination of unknown small molecules. The sample preparation equipment consists of a high-speed, small (1.5 mL) sample tube-centrifuge and a nitrogen gas flow evaporator for concentrating samples. A −80 °C freezer is also available for storing samples and reagents. Data analysis can be performed on four standalone workstations utilizing the AB Sciex MultiQuant and Thermo software packages. This core facility is well-suited to meet the demands of small molecule quantitation in a wide range of biological samples including tissue, plasma, urine, etc. A suite of available methods will focus on lipid biomarkers of metabolic disease including ceramides, fatty acylcarnitines, sphingomyelins, and more; additional methods can be developed by researchers in partnership with the Core.
Microscope Imaging Facility
The Microscope Imaging Facility, located on the 2nd floor of the Biomedical Research Facility, provides resources for microscope image acquisition, as well as image processing and analysis. The facility has two laser scanning confocal systems, an inverted Nikon TI-E microscope with an A1R-HD resonant scanning confocal system equipped with four lasers (405 nm, 488 nm, 561 nm, 640 nm) and an N-SIM E super resolution imaging platform including 3 additional lasers (488 nm, 561 nm, 640 nm), and an inverted Zeiss LSM 710 confocal with five lasers (405 nm, 458/488/514 nm, 561 nm, 594 nm, 633 nm) and an Airyscan detector for super-resolution imaging. Both confocal microscopes include environmental control for live cell imaging. The core has a Nikon TE2000-E microscope equipped for sweptfield confocal, laser TIRF, widefield fluorescence, phase contrast and DIC imaging that is also optimized for live-cell imaging. For live animal imaging, the facility has a Nikon A1R High Definition Multiphoton (A1R-HD MP) upright microscope equipped with a Coherent Vision II Infrared (IR) laser tunable from 680 nm to 1080 nm and an A1 Scanhead and controller with three non-descanned (NDD) GaAsP PMTs and one NDD high efficiency (HE) PMT detector, suitable for imaging blue, green, red and far-red. For larger samples, the core has three instruments available including a Miltenyi UltraMicroscope II light sheet that is equipped with a 4.2 megapixel cMOS camera, 5 lasers ranging from 405 nm to 785 nm, and three objectives (1x, 4x, and 12x), an Olympus VS120 slide scanner and an Olympus MVX10 MacroView which provides high resolution imaging with macro to micro zooming; both Olympus systems are equipped for color and fluorescent imaging. The facility has a Zeiss AxioImager microscope that is equipped for epifluorescence, brightfield, darkfield and DIC imaging and a Zeiss Axiovert 40 CFL tissue culture microscope for widefield fluorescence and phase contrast imaging. Two off-line image analysis workstations are available to the facility users for image processing and data analysis. Software packages include AutoQuant, Imaris, NIS-Elements with General Analysis, ZEN, AxioVision, OlyVIA, Olympus VS Desktop, syGlass, ImageJ/FIJI and the entire Adobe Suite. The facility staff is dedicated to providing ongoing training and support to ensure the success of imaging projects.
Mitochondria Phenotyping Service
The Mitochondria Phenotyping Service provides a centralized mitochondria, bioenergetics and metabolism phenotyping service for WVU researchers. Services include mitochondria isolation from cells and tissues, cellular and mitochondria bioenergetics analyses, assessment of mitochondria structure, function and dynamics, as well as metabolomic profiling. Various bioenergetic platforms are made available through the service, which include Agilent Seahorse XFp, XFe24, and XFPro; Oroboros O2k FlupRespirometer; Hansatech Oxytherm+ peltier regulated system (8 chamber); Qubit Systems Dissolved Oxygen Package (4 chambers); YSI 5300 Oxymeter and 1500 ml chamber; YSI 5300 Oxymeter and 600 ml chamber. Mitochondrial calcium flux dynamics as well as cellular contractile function are evaluated using an Ion Optix microscopy system. Mitochondrial structure and dynamics are performed in conjunction with the Flow Cytometry and Single Cell Core Facility and metabolomics are performed in conjunction with the Metabolomics and Small Molecule Analysis Core. The Mitochondria Phenotyping Service is led by Dr. John Hollander and Ethan Meadows, the Scientific and Technical Directors, who are both available for consultation.
Molecular Medicine Core
The Molecular Medicine Core (MMC) was established in 2020 with support from the State of West Virginia to develop clinical assays and perform clinical testing. The MMC has R&D and CLIA-certified laboratories located in adjacent rooms on the second floor of the HSC. Laboratory space is separated into clean spaces, sample handling areas and areas containing amplification equipment. Major equipment includes centrifuges, two biosafety cabinets, five PCR clean benches, four real time thermocyclers, two 96-well and one 384-well block thermocyclers, an Agilent TapeStation 4200, and a ProteinSimple Jess automated western blot capillary system. Processes are automated on two Beckman Biomek i7 and one Opentrons OT-2 liquid handlers configured to perform automated DNA/RNA extraction, PCR assays, and preparation of libraries for Next Generation Sequencing. Refrigerators and freezers (–20 °C and –80 °C) provide separated storage spaces for reagents and samples. The MMC has direct access to two Illumina sequencers, a MiSeq Dx and a NextSeq 550 Dx, that are operated in cooperation with the WVU Genomics Core Facility.
Office of Laboratory Animal Resources (HSC)
The Office of Laboratory Animal Resources (OLAR) provides comprehensive veterinary and husbandry care for animals used in biomedical research and teaching across the West Virginia University (WVU) campus. The biomedical animal care and use program at WVU is fully accredited by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALAC), ensuring the highest standards in animal welfare. The program is overseen by an Attending Veterinarian who is a diplomate of the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine (ACLAM). OLAR centrally manages two vivarium facilities located on the Health Sciences Campus: the Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center (~21,000 ft²) and the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute (~6,000 ft²). These facilities are equipped to house rodent and rabbit species and offer a range of specialized environments, including:
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A rodent barrier facility
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ABSL-2 and BSL-3/ABSL-3 high-containment housing
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Fully equipped surgical suites
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Proximity to core facilities for imaging and behavioral research
OLAR is committed to facilitating high-quality, ethically responsible research through expert animal care and investigator support.
Pathology Research Histology Laboratory
The Pathology Research Histology Laboratory, located within the Department of Pathology on the 2nd floor of HSC-North, provides a wide range of histopathology services for basic science and clinical investigators. Routine procedures include human tissue and experimental animal tissue processing, decalcification, paraffin embedding, microtome sectioning, and automated hematoxylin and eosin staining. A variety of special stains are available upon request. Core staff also provide consultation for the development of new immunostaining protocols.
Rodent Behavior Core Facility
The Rodent Behavior Core (RBC) was established to optimize the conduct of robust and high-throughput rodent behavioral assessments at WVU. This core facility offers a wide array of rodent behavioral tests designed to assess a range of behavioral phenotypes. The RBC maintains a suite of dedicated behavior testing rooms within the vivarium space of the WVU Health Sciences Center. Tests are permanently set-up within the RBC, allowing for high throughput, rapid, and reproducible collection of behavioral data. Tests available tap the following domains: anxiety-related behaviors (elevated plus/zero maze, hole board test, light-dark transition test, marble burying, 16 chamber PAS open field system, novelty-induced hypophagia, social investigation), depression-related behaviors (forced swim test, sucrose preference, tail suspension), drug abuse potential (conditioned place preference, two-bottle choice, IVSA), nociception (hot plate, tail flick), operant conditioning (lever-press chambers, fear conditioning, self-administration chambers, 8 chamber Bussey-Saksida mouse touchscreen system), sensori/locomotor behaviors (accelerating rotarod, balance beam, adhesive dot removal, cylinder test, corner test, forepaw inhibition, foot fault ladder test, spontaneous locomotion, PAS open field), general neurological/physiological function (health/sickness scale, grip strength meter, modified neurological severity score, wire hang test), spatial and non-spatial cognition, learning and memory (active and passive avoidance, 10 paradigms in the Bussey-Saksida mouse touchscreen system, Barnes maze, Morris water maze, novel object recognition/object location recognition, automated radial arm maze, T/Y-maze, hole board apparatus), and social behaviors (social recognition, 3 chamber social test, aggression, reproductive, and maternal behaviors). In addition, the RBC is in the process of integrating optogenetic stimulation with simultaneous fiber photometry (Neurophotometrics) or 2-photon imaging into the behavioral repertoire, in conjunction with a head-fixed virtual reality (jet ball) system to assess navigation, cognition, decision making, and learning and memory in body-restrained rodents or rodents with impaired limb function. Our InScopix miniscope system allows real-time in vivo imaging of cerebral blood flow or individual neurons or neuronal ensembles in freely behaving rodents. In addition, our core has been recently equipped with an Ultima 2Pplus multiphoton microscopy (Bruker Inc.) that offers possibility of in vivo multiphoton imaging from deep layers of a living brain. This setup uniquely provides the possibility of simultaneous imaging and optogenetics stimulation at a single cell level to the large population of neurons. The large population of neurons can be targeted at different brain depths for simultaneous recoding and photostimulation. RBC staff are available to consult on experimental design and task selection, offer expert training in performing behavior tests, live animal imaging conduct statistical analyses and interpret findings, and assist in writing of results. As well, WVU maintains a machine shop and employees a construction expert for the fabrication of custom designed apparatuses. All accompanying computer hardware, behavior tracking software (Noldus Ethovision, Stoelting AnyMaze, San Diego Instruments Photobeam Activity System), and statistical analysis and graphing tools (SPSS, Prism) are contained in the facility and instruction on their use is readily available.
Rodent Experimental Stroke & Surgical Core
The overall objective of the Rodent Experimental Stroke & Surgical core (RESS) is to provide the instrumentation, expertise, resources and training for the incorporation of animal models of stroke into the research of project leaders in the Stroke CoBRE and researchers in the greater WVU neuroscience and cardiovascular research communities. The RESS core has developed multiple experimental rodent stroke models and collaborated with researchers using animal models. Current available animal models include: photothrombotic stroke (PTS), transient, permanent, and distal middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO), cerebral hypoperfusion, hypoxia, subarachnoid hemorrhage, stereotaxic application of endothelin-1, cardiac arrest/ cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CA/CPR) global ischemia, carotid ligation, and traumatic brain injury. The RESS core also develops new surgical animal models as requested by investigators. The RESS core houses equipment for conducting animal surgeries, including active anesthesia scavenging systems, Leica surgical microscope (M80), laser speckle imagers, laser doppler flow (MoorVMS-LDF2), CODA monitor fully automated controller with LCD display (blood pressure monitor), animal tattooing system, hypoxia ischemia chamber, blood gas analyzer, precision small animal electro-cautery with bipolar forceps, homoeothermic blanket and temperature control systems, small animal stereotaxic instruments, and two cold light sources (KL 2500 and KL 1600, Schott, Germany), mouse ventilator, syringe pump, as well as pressure and wire myography systems.
Tissue Bank & Brain Bank
The West Virginia University Tissue Bank collects a wide variety of normal and diseased tissue from surgical resections and autopsies with Institutional Review Board approval and patient consent. Skilled technologists work with surgeons, pathologists, and researchers to maximize the scientific value and quality of acquired tissue. They oversee designation of tissue so investigators can correlate pathologic features with their data while maintaining patient confidentiality. The Tissue Bank is willing to work closely with researchers needing customized tissue collection to meet their study goals.
Viral Core
The Viral Core is located in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine in the Health Sciences Center at West Virginia University. The mission of the core is twofold: to provide research grade virus to the WVU research community and to develop new viral vectors with improved efficacy. The Viral Core is focused on the packaging, purification and titration of single stranded and self-complementary adeno-associated virions of serotype 2, 7M8, 8, 9 and Php.eB, with additional serotypes available upon request. Virions are produced using HEK/293T cells and plasmid transfection and purified by affinity chromatography.
Visual Function & Morphology Core
The Visual Function & Morphology Core (VFM) provides users with the technology and expertise required to advance research in the visual sciences. This includes equipment specialized for measuring visual response in animal models as well a range of imaging techniques for determining the precise mechanisms of pathophysiology. Our core has several ERG systems (CELERIS, ColorDome, LKC UTAS Bigshot, Micron V) that together provide versatile capabilities including rapid acquisition, fine tuning of stimuli and focal ERG. The qOMR and Optomotry OKR systems can be used for automated measurement of optokinetic responses across a range of spatial frequencies. The Micron V retinal imaging system and SD-OCT allow for multiple modalities of retinal imaging including fundoscopy, high resolution and focal optical coherence tomography as well as image guided laser ablation. The VFM also houses histology equipment (Leica UC7, CM1850, MES1000+) for sectioning samples used in electron and light microscopy. Expertise in sample preparation and subsequent imaging is available for both the JEOL EM and light microscopes. Housed in the core is a Nikon AXR confocal microscope which is ideal for imaging a wide range of sample types, as well as a Nikon STORM super-resolution microscope for imaging and localization of molecules beyond the diffraction limit. Assistance and training with image analysis is available to all users. Where additional procedures are required (e.g. Anesthesia, Microinjection), facilities are available alongside the relevant hardware and bookable in tandem via the VFM iLab system.