Research Facilities

The two institutions participating in the Biochemistry and Structural Biology Program—Stony Brook University and Brookhaven National Laboratory—each have world-class facilities for modern biochemical and structural research. Stony Brook University houses several facilities for biochemical studies and has made a major commitment in developing the Center for Structural Biology (CSB) to advance the structural program.

Biochemistry at Stony Brook
There are a number of core facilities that support and enhance the research productivity of investigators at Stony Brook. These include the Center for Analysis and Sequencing of Macromolecules (CASM); a DNA sequencing facility; a mass spectrometer facility; the University Microscopy Imaging Center (UMIC), with high-resolution equipment for performing light, confocal microscopy, and transmission/scanning electron microscopy; numerous shared computer facilities; a transgenic mouse facility; a spacious and expertly operated animal research laboratory; a monoclonal antibody tissue culture center; and a microarray facility.

The Center for Structural Biology
An important new facility at Stony Brook is the Center for Structural Biology (CSB). The CSB is housed on the first and ground floors of the Centers for Molecular Medicine. The research activities of the CSB revolve around three major biophysical approaches for studying the structure and dynamics of complex biological macromolecules: NMR spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography, and computer simulation. In addition, research laboratories the CSB’s are well equipped with biophysical instrumentation for Fourier transform infrared, fluorescence, and circular dichroism spectroscopy. The Keck NMR Center for Structural Biology houses three NMR spectrometers: a standard bore 700 MHz spectrometer for solution NMR studies and wide bore 600 MHz and 360 MHz spectrometers for solid-state NMR studies. The X-ray facility is equipped with two RU-H3R X-ray generators and two R-Axis IV++ imaging plate detectors. One cryogenic device is attached to each detector for data collection at low temperatures. In addition to this in-house facility, X-ray crystallographers at Stony Brook have access to beamline X26C at Brookhaven National Laboratory. The CSB computational facility supports a number of SGI computers ranging from graphics workstations up to multiprocessor servers, including one Origin 2000 and two Origin 200 servers. A three-dimensional projection system interfaced to an SGI graphics workstation is installed in the CSB conference room and allows up to 20 scientists and students to view a protein structure in 3D. High-speed Ethernet connections link the CSB facilities to the rest of the University and to Brookhaven National Laboratory. Additional microcomputers and workstations for general use are located in clusters around campus. All students have their own computer accounts with access to campus e-mail, electronic journals, and Web services.

Brookhaven National Laboratory
Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) has world-class facilities for structural biology that are available to students in the BSB Program. The National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) at BNL has high-energy beamlines for X-ray crystallography, as well as for UV, CD, and IR spectroscopy. An important aspect of inter-institutional cooperation is a dedicated beamline (X26C) at the NSLS that is shared by Stony Brook, BNL, and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. This dedicated line greatly facilitates structural biology at all three institutions. Other facilities include a Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope (STEM) in the Department of Biology.

Library Facilities
The library facilities at Stony Brook are outstanding and include the Frank Melville Jr. Memorial Library, the Chemistry Library, and the Health Sciences Library. They contain a comprehensive collection of serials and periodicals related to biological, medical, and chemical topics, which are also available online. The following description of the facilities highlights the special resources available to students at these two institutions.

 

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