Research Facilities

Research is supported by state-of-the-art facilities at Stony Brook University, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory with individual faculty laboratories and with some of the core centers described below.

University Computing and network services at Stony Brook are managed by the Division of Information Technology. The campus network is connected to the Internet1 over a T3 (45MB) connection. A separate OC3 (155MB) connection provides Internet2 service to the research community. A T1 link also connects the campus to the SUNY intranet. Off-campus access to the computer network is also available. General computing services are available to students including an account for e-mail and Internet access and can be obtained from the library SINC site. The MCB Graduate Program maintains a computer room facility for common use, and, in addition, individual faculty research laboratories provide computers for shared use.

The Center for Analysis and Synthesis of Macromolecules is a core facility at Stony Brook whose services include protein sequencing, peptide synthesis, analytical HPLC, preparative HPLC, MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, and DNA sequencing. Peptide synthesis is performed on a Perkin-Elmer Biosystems Model 431A Peptide Synthesizer using Fmoc chemistry at the 0.25 mmole scale. DNA sequencing is performed with a Perkin-Elmer Biosystems Model 373XL Stretch using Big Dye Chemistry. MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry with the Bruker Protein TOF Instrument is used to analyze protein or peptide mass as well as sequence analysis. A University Mass Spectrometry Facility houses five instruments that provide a variety of analyses using different ionization techniques. The most recent acquisitions are a Micromass Quattro LC/MS/MS and a Micromass Platform LC/MS. The Quattro is a tandem quadrupole instrument used for structure determination and sequence analysis of oligonucleotides, peptides, and polysaccharides. The Platform is used for both qualitative and quantitative analyses.

The University recently opened a DNA Microarray Center that offers researchers the ability to simultaneously analyze the expression of thousands of genes in humans, rodents, yeast, plants, bacteria, or Drosophila. The pattern of gene expression will greatly aid efforts to understand
normal development and to understand alterations in normal gene expression that occur in disease. The facility utilizes the Affymetrix GeneChip System with computer and bioinformatics support.
The Center for Structural Biology has advanced instrumentation for NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography. The Keck NMR Center houses a 700 MHz spectrometer for solution NMR studies and a wide bore 600 MHz spectrometer for solid-state NMR studies. Multidimensional NMR
spectroscopy provides a versatile approach for obtaining high resolution structures of biological macromolecules in solution and membrane environments. The X-ray facility houses two Riaku X-ray generators and area detectors for macromolecular crystallography. Crystallography provides a direct approach for obtaining high resolution molecular structures of macromolecules with few limitations of molecular size. The Center is supported by a X-ray beam line facility at the Brookhaven National Laboratory’s National Synchrotron Light Source.

The Division of Laboratory Animal Resources provides services of housing and maintenance as well as asceptic surgical suites, radiology, and specialized technical assistance. There are three veterinarians, two veterinary technicians, and animal care support staff. The division is American Association for Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC) accredited, has an approved assurance statement from the Office for Protection from Research Risk (OPRR), and is licensed with the NY Department of Health and the USDA for animal use in teaching and research.

The Cell Culture and Hybridoma Facility provides services including development of monoclonal antibodies and the growth, maintenance, and storage of cultured cells. Culture media, sera and media supplements, as well as conditioned medium for hybridoma growth (feeder layer replacement), are available.

A Flow Cytometry Facility currently has two instruments (a three laser Becton-Dickinson FACS Vantage cell sorter and a Becton-Dickinson FACScan analyzer) that are used according to the investigator’s needs. Some of the research applications include multifluorochrome and multiparameter analysis, immunophenotyping, cell sorting, DNA cell cycle analysis, receptor-ligand interactions, green fluorescent protein analysis, and ion flux analysis.

The University Microscopy Imaging Center has equipment and personnel resources to conduct research projects requiring advanced light, electronic-light, and electron microscopy techniques. Electron microscopy includes both transmission and scanning microscopy. Light microscopy
services include laser scanning confocal microscopy, epifluorescence confocal, confocal reflected/transmitted microscopy, bright and dark field microscopy, phase contrast microscopy, Nomarski differential interference contrast microscopy, epi- and transmitted fluorescence, polarization, or polarized, stereo, and video microscopy. In addition to photographic film, images may be acquired using video, PMTs, and a wide range of CCD cameras. Sample preparation can be provided with cryomicrotomy and microtomy of paraffin embedded specimens. The Center also houses a Phosphoimager system for the analysis of autoradiograms.

These are some of the specialized research facilities that Stony Brook University has created to support a strong infrastucture for basic research and advanced technology.

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