Core Facilities and Resources
The goal of the core facilities is to enhance the productivity of individual research programs, create opportunities for new research endeavors, and promote collaborative efforts in identifying the molecular, cellular and genetic bases of biological and disease processes. It is also to provide resources to the research community.
Ophthalmology
Location: Schepens Eye Research Institute
Contact: Oscar Morales
Learn more about the Animal Visual Assessment core (via Vitals)
Location: Schepens Eye Research Institute
Contacts: Janey Wiggs, MD, PhD and Kevin Linkroum
The overall goal of the Biobank core is to help investigators collect and store biological samples from patients with ocular disorders, and to link those samples with molecular and clinical data. The collection of biological samples from patients with ocular disorders is an integral part of many research programs at Mass Eye and Ear.
By providing a central facility for sample collection and processing the Biobank resources reduce duplicated efforts among investigators. Importantly centralized storage and tracking using state-of-the-art programs such as Progeny ensures sample maintenance and protection and minimizes sample loss and mix-up. Linking individual samples to clinical data using the electronic medical record system (RPDR) as well as databases with molecular data enables sophisticated study of large datasets that enhances the overall quality of the Mass Eye and Ear investigations.
Additionally, providing assistance with sample collection helps young investigators and clinical scientists who may not have funding to collect useful samples from patients with interesting clinical disease that would benefit from further study. The availability of substantial patient sample resources also supports new investigations and collaborations, especially between bench and clinical scientists forming another bridge between basic and clinical research at Mass Eye and Ear.
The Biobank goals are:
- To make it possible for any investigator who identifies an interesting patient, series of patients or has access to an interesting animal model, to collect useful biological samples that can be used for further study
- To provide biological and clinical resources to investigators for specific disease-related investigations
The Biobank data and sample repository is a unique resource supporting a wide variety of vision-related studies. For many Mass Eye and Ear investigators, the Biobank core is an indispensable resource that greatly enhances the overall quality of their research.
Services provided by the Biobank core:
- Blood/tissue collection and storage:
- Progeny tracking system - DNA/RNA sample prep
- Clinical data:
- Research Patient Data Registry (RPDR)
- REDCap (Research electronic data capture)
Location: Schepens Eye Research Institute
Contacts: Lucia Sobrin, MD, Ayellet Segrea and Daneil Navarrow
The purpose of the Bioinformatics and statistics core is to provide bioinformatic and statistical support for clinical, genomic and laboratory studies. A wide variety of studies are supported by the core.
Location: Schepens Eye Reseach Institute
Contacts: Philip Seifert, 617-912-0209 and Xinyau Hu
This guide is intended to provide personnel contacts and information relating to our SERI core facility microscopes.
SERI Common Core Microscopes
Leica TCS-SP2 Upright Confocal Laser-Scanning Microscope
The Leica TCS-SP2 Upright Confocal Laser-Scanning Microscope is located in room 170 and can accommodate specimens labeled with nearly all stains except those requiring ultra-violet excitation.
User Fee: $10.00 / hour
Leica TCS-SP5 Upright Confocal Laser-Scanning Microscope
The Leica TCS-SP5 Upright Confocal Laser-Scanning Microscope is located in room 250 West. This microscope can accommodate specimens labeled with all fluorophores including ultra violet (DAPI).
User Fee: $12.50 / hour
Training: $200.00 / client
This covers the costs of manuals, resource CD/DVD and all assistance needed
For Leica Inc. assistance, contact Philip Seifert or Xinyao Hu, 617-912-0209
Nikon Eclipse E-800 fluorescent microscopes
The facility has two microscopeslocated in rooms 168 and 169. 100watt SHP Hg lamps for these microscopes are located in room 250 West.
User Fee: $10.00 /hour
For assistance contact: Philip Seifert or Xinyao Hu.
For repairs/sales, contact: MVI (Microvideo Instruments Inc.): Tel: 508-580-0080
For replacement lamps, contact Bulb Direct Inc.: Tel: 1-800-772-5267.
Leica AS LMD Laser Microdissection Microscope
Available in SERI room 149 ( Morphology).
A manual and Resource CD-ROM is available. Please arrange for training before attempting to use this microscope.
User Fee: $10.00/hour
Clients must supply their own PCR tubes, specialized slides and gloves.
The Instruction manuals, computer applications and software along with other documents that relate to the use of the facilities mentioned on this page are contained within a “Utility CD-ROM / DVD” (PC) are stored in room 250 West and are available by request from Philip Seifert or Xinyao Hu.
Location: Schepens Eye Research Institute
Contact: Alex Bowers
Location: Schepens Eye Research Institute
Contact: Randy Huang
The Flow Cytometry Facility is a core facility of Schepens Eye Research Institute that provides fluorescent-based cell analysis and sorting to Boston area biomedical researchers. The facility includes a BD LSR II analyzer with five lasers, a LaserScanning Cytometer (LSC), a Coulter XL analyzer, and MoFlo.
Rates
The following charges apply for use of the facility.
BD LSR II analyzer with five lasers
Internal Institute Users: $50 per hour (no technical assistance), $95 per hour (with technical assistance).
Outside Users: Non-institute price $95 per hour.
Coulter XL Flow analyzer
Internal Institute Users: $50 per hour (no technical assistance), $95 per hour (with technical assistance).
Outside Users: Non-institute price $95 per hour. Compucyte
Cytomation MoFlo Cell Sorting
Internal Institute Users: $100 per hour.
Outside Users: $150 first hour, $125 per hour thereafter
Hours of Operation
Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM
Not available Saturday or Sunday
Location: Mass Eye and Ear
Contacts: Kinga Bujakowska and Anna Larson
The Functional Genomics Core provides expert assistance using zebrafish as a model system to demonstrate functional effects of human disease-related gene variants and to model human inherited ocular disorders. The core provides zebrafish husbandry and assists investigators with project planning including morpholino design and design of guide RNAs for CRISPR/cas9 gene editing, training for zebrafish embryo injection and other manipulations and characterization of genetically modified fish including measurement of visual acuity and intraocular pressure.
Location: Schepens Eye Research Institute
Contacts: GTVC@meei.harvard.edu, Nerea Zabaleta Lasarte and Emma Couto
The Gene Transfer Vector Core (GTVC) can be scheduled with Mass General Brigham Core Management System. To get started, Create a Customer Account.
The GTVC is a viral vector core facility located at the Schepens Eye Research Institute and Mass Eye and Ear, both affiliated with Harvard Medical School. GTVC is an integral part of the Grousbeck Gene Therapy Center and the Ocular Genomics Institute of Harvard Medical School and Mass Eye and Ear.
Our primary goal is to provide high titer, high quality research-grade viral vectors to the research community at Harvard, within Boston, and outside to support preclinical gene therapy studies and basic research gene transfer applications.
Location: Mass Eye and Ear
Contacts: Eric Piece, MD, PhD, and Daniela Pignatta
The OGI Genomics Core facility was established in April of 2013 by the Mass Eye and Ear Department of Ophthalmology, with the goal of offering advanced genomics analysis methods and techniques to Mass Eye and Ear’s clinical research staff and affiliates.
Location: Schepens Eye Research Institute
Contacts: Philip Seifert, Bianai Fan and Xinyao Hu
The SERI Morphology Core can be scheduled with Mass General Brigham Core Management System. To get started, Create a Customer Account.
The SERI Morphology Core provides technical assistance and services for light, confocal, and electron microscopy. Research services include: Routine histological processing, sectioning and staining for frozen, paraffin, methacrylate and epoxy resin tissue preparations. The core facility staff assists with technical problems, procedures, and training on instrumentation inclusive of; Cryostats, automated tissue processors, microtomes, and fluorescence and phase microscopes. The Microscopy Core provides training on two Leica confocal microscopes and Nikon Epifluorescent Microscopes located at SERI/Mass Eye and Ear.
State-of-art scanning and transmission electron microscopes and services are available at SERI for Mass Eye and Ear faculty and their laboratories. Complete transmission electron microscopy service includes; EMS Lynx II automated processing of tissue, semi-thin and thin sectioning of cell and tissue samples, TEM imaging and digital image acquisition using a FEI Tecnai G2 Spirit transmission electron microscope interfaced with a AMT XR41 digital CCD camera.
Please contact Pablo Argueso, PhD or Philip Seifert concerning any questions.
Otolaryngology
Location: Mass Eye and Ear
Contact: Ishmael Stefanov
Supported by a P30 grant from the NIDCD, the Eaton-Peabody Laboratories Engineering Core has designed and implemented a new system for signal generation/data acquisition (SG/DAQ) that requires minimal custom hardware and is powerful enough to meet the most demanding needs in auditory neuroscience. Check back soon for additional information.
Location: Mass Eye and Ear
Contact: Ishamel Stefanov
Supported by a P30 grant from the NIDCD, the Eaton-Peabody Laboratories Histology Core strives to develop and refine techniques for histological analysis, particularly as applied to the study of the inner ear. This core has developed an array of publicly available resources from videos tutorials to protocols. Check back soon for access to these resources.
Location: Mass Eye and Ear
Contact: Haobing Wang
The Eaton-Peabody Laboratories Imaging Core has developed computer-based 3D virtual models that have the potential to become valuable tools for teaching and learning this anatomy. They will be available as downloadable freeware for teaching and educational purposes soon.
Location: Mass Eye and Ear
Contact: TB Registry
Operated by the National Temporal Bone Registry of the NIDCD, this database contains information on archival temporal bone specimens stored in various laboratories and collections throughout the United States. To date, the database contains information on more than 7,800 cases from 23 different laboratories. Learn more.
Additional resources can be found through the Otopathology Laboratory.
