Equipment

This machine provides the capability to generate Single End or Paired End Illumina sequencing runs up to 300 base pairs. The V2 reagent kits will yield 8-12 million clusters while the V3 kits increase yield to 18-25 million clusters. If you need greater sequencing depth, we maintain a collaborative relationship with the Genomics Core Facility at Marshall University via the NextSeq 2000. Please discuss your projects with our Core personnel to determine which sequencing services are best for your needs.

ABI Model 3500xl Genetic Analyzer

We perform Sanger sequencing, fragment analysis (FA) and Cell Line Authentication on the 3500xl. Sequencing chemistry used is currently ABI Big Dye Terminator v3.1.

Other Equipment

If you have the expertise, you can use this equipment yourself upon appointment. If you don't know how, we offer services to teach you. 

AlphaImager Image Documentation System 

UV/Vis image documentation system. The system can also be used for counting (for example colony counting).

Biorad CFX Connect Real-Time PCR system

The iQ5 uses 96-well reaction format and up to five targets can be multiplexed in one well. 

ND-1000 Spectrophotometer

Requires no cuvettes or capillaries. As little as 1 uL of sample required. UV/Vis. 

Agilent 2100 BioAnalyzer

Can be used for RNA, DNA, protein, or flow cytometry analyses.

Covaris M220 Focused-ultrasonicator

M220 Focused-ultrasonicator is designed for Next-Gen Sequencing applications requiring fragment sizes between 150bp and 5kb. Compact size and ease-of-use make the M220 Focused-ultrasonicator the ideal DNA shearing solution for MiSeq users. 

Covaris E220 Focused-ultrasonicator

The E220 enables multi-sample, batch preparation, capable of processing a wide range of sample types and volumes. The E220 may be programed to process from 1 to 96 samples in a single batch.

This is a liquid handling robot that can be set up to automate pipetting in a variety of experiments.

Tecan  Microplate Reader

We can grow cultures in 96-well plates using 100 to 200 microliters of culture with this beauty. The machine also has really nice control software that you can use to do growth curve analysis and more. Best of all, there is no need for repeated visits to the lab. You set up the experiment, put the plate on the machine, and then come back at the end to get your results. 

Qubit Quantification

We can quantify DNA and RNA with higher accuracy than the nano drop due to target-specific fluorescence (broad range and/or high sensitivity). 

Nanodrop

We can quantify DNA and RNA samples quickly and efficiently. 

Computing Equipment

The facility maintains a bioinformatics cluster with a total of 144 cpu cores with 8 to 48 Gb of RAM per node, and 100 Tb of storage in a RAID array with complete incremental backups. We also have a dedicated bioinformatics server for genome assembly with 24 2.93 Ghz processor cores, 128 Gb of DDR3 RAM, and 12 Tb of on board SAS disk storage in a RAID 10 configuration.

We also have access to a new High Performance Computing cluster currently with 2,304 Xeon processor cores and up to 512 Gb of RAM per node, connected to the university backbone with 10 Gbps Ethernet, and 266 Tb of dedicated attached storage.