Biological resources

See the CIPDD website for information on our services and equipment.

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Genetic Research Services (GRS) provide high-quality genetics services to both UQ and external clients. Backed by a multi-disciplinary team and state-of-the-art equipment, we offer a number of services to support your research needs.

Services

• Rodent genotyping service – We genotype all types of genetic modifications including knockouts, knockins, conditional/floxed, transgenes, SNPs, and CRISPR. The service includes genotyping assay design, DNA extraction, and fluorescent PCR coupled with capillary electrophoresis for highly accurate and sensitive detection of assay products. The genotyping results are analysed by a team of highly experienced research staff.
• Sequencing – We offer high-quality, fast, customised services for sequencing clients. We also provide customised solutions and specialised customer support for troubleshooting undesirable results and offer different sequencing dyes (v3.1 and v1.1) for particularly difficult DNA templated eg. hairpin or highly repetitive regions. The Sanger DNA sequencing service is performed on our two 3730 Applied Biosystems capillary electrophoresis machines.
• Fragment services – Our fragment analysis service can speed up your research by analysing your PCR results in a 96-well plate format using high-throughput CE DNA analysers. Fluorescently labelled PCR products from 50-1100 base pairs can be analysed and differences in fragment size as little as 1 base pair can be detected. PCR assays are commonly used to screen for the presence or absence of a variety of genetic features, e.g. insertions, deletions, and SNPs, in a range of organisms. Robotics Services – We have a number of automated robotic instruments for laboratory work (pre and post-PCR), PCR machines and 3730 DNA analysers that may assist you with your high throughput laboratory needs. PCR automation and automated processing reduces the risks of injury, errors, and time associated with the manual processing of high numbers of samples within the laboratory. We can help with automating DNA extraction, PCR, and PCR set-up and plate preparation.
• Microsatellite/STR panels – We can optimise microsatellite panels, perform capillary separation, and analyse the results for a variety of animals including but not limited to horses, sharks, and manta rays.
• Bacterial 16S testing – Our bacterial 16S test detects the presence of the 16S ribosomal subunit gene which is highly conserved in the genomes of many different strains of bacteria. This test can be useful for applications such as the detection of bacterial contamination in faecal samples from germ-free mice in gnotobiotic facilities and for monitoring sterile environments. Positive 16S results can also be investigated to try and identify the bacterial strain via further 16S sequencing and comparison to online databases.

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Infrastructure

• Evaporatively cooled glasshouses
• PC2 evaporatively cooled temperature-controlled glasshouse rooms
• Temperature-controlled quarantine space
• External growing areas (including a small field plot)
• Controlled and ambient light growth cabinets and incubators
• Dark rooms
• General laboratory
• Teaching space

Services

• Consultation (free for the initial setup and plant health issues)
• Labour (watering, pest management, forklift/bobcat works, utility vehicle)
• Alarm monitoring
• Various potting mixes or made-to-order potting media
• Consumables required for plant growth and care
• Free Fogging of PC2 labs or growth cabinets with F10 (shutdown or maintenance)
• Glasshouse inductions
• Plant growth for practical lessons (cabbage, beans, sunflowers etc)

Equipment

• Support equipment (autoclave, cement mixer, dehydrator, electric trolleys and wheelbarrows, soil mixer, rotary hoe, leaf area measuring equipment, microscopes, weather station, root washing facilities, Thermal gradient bar, laminar flow cabinet, pH/ EC meter, PAR meter, cement mixer)
• Forklift/bobcat
• Utility vehicle
• Hand tools non-powered

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Services

• Training, including equipment and animal (mouse) procedures, including surgeries
• Self- and full-service capability for equipment
• Animal holding facility (short term)
• PC2 approved laboratory

Equipment

• TSE Phenomaster
• Buker Minispec NMR analyser
• Ultrasound imaging system (Vevo3100)
• Anaesthetic and surgery equipment, including Isoflurane vaporisers, Pulse Ox and Minivet ventilators
• Memmert chambers
• Hypoxic chamber
• Muromachi microwave fixation system
• BP and ECG equipment (mouse and rat)
• Langendorff isolated heart perfusion system

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See the QASP website for information on our services and equipment.

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Services

Self and full service:

• Mass spectrometry
• qPCR and digital droplet PCR
• High throughput plate readers
• Seahorse bioassay for metabolism
• Gel doc systems, Western blot readers
• Spectrophotometers
• Flow cytometry

Equipment

• 2x QuantStudio 6 qPCR machines – 96well and 384 well blocks
• QuantStudio 7 qPCR machine with TaqMan array block
• Odyssey LI-COR CLx Infrared Imager – Western blots
• BioRad QX200 Digital Droplet PCR machine.

The QX200 droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) system provides absolute quantifications of target DNA or RNA molecules for EvaGreen or probe-based digital PCR applications.

• Most precise and sensitive digital PCR solution for a wide variety of applications
• Flexible digital PCR chemistry – optimised for TaqMan hydrolysis probe and EvaGreen assays
• Flexible assay setup – scalable for high sensitivity or high throughput
• Simple and easy-to-use workflow with 96-sample throughput
• Droplet partitioning by the QX200 droplet digital technology reduces bias from amplification efficiency and PCR inhibitors
• Convenient assay design – standard curves are not required
• Agilent Seahorse XFe 96 extracellular flux analyzer with XF Prep Station.

Next-generation metabolomics analyser to measure mitochondrial respiration and glycolysis in cellular or ex vivo samples. Glycolysis, stress testing, drug injection and dose-response capabilities, with real-time label-free detection.

• MAGPIX Luminex Multiplex for immunoassays and analyte detection.

This system provides a complete solution for rapid, accurate biomarker quantitation in a variety of sample matrices. This affordable system can perform up to 50 tests simultaneously in a single reaction volume, greatly reducing sample input, reagents and labour while improving productivity.

• SCIEX API 2000 triple quadrupole LC-MS/MS (m/z 5 to 1800) with TurbulonSpray source and Agilent 1200 HPLC system
• SCIEX API 3200 triple quadrupole LC-MS/MS (m/z 5 to 2000) with TurboV source and Agilent 1200 HPLC system
• BMG SPECTROstar nano plate spectrophotometer
• BMG CLARIOstar Plus spectrophotometer
• Bio-Strategy SpectaMax M4 spectrophotometer
• Molecular Devices Flexstation 3 microplate reader
• Direct detect spectrophotometer for protein and peptide concentration measurements
• FLUOstar OPTIMA plate readers
• Perkin Elmer Microbeta Trilux 1450 radiation counter
• PerkinElmer Tri-Carb 3110 TR beta counter
• PerkinElmer Wizard2 gamma counter 2470
• Tecan Spark 20M Multimode plate reader and spectrophotometer
• XCELLigence HT system, ENSPIRE label-free system
• Tecan Hydrospeed automated plate washer
• Tecan Freedom EVO Robotic Liquid Handling System
• Mettler Toledo XSE105DU high precision analytical balance
• CS Bio cs336x automated peptide synthesizer
• BD Fortessa Flow Cytometer - FlowJo 10 software using a multi-user site licence.

Multicolour cell analyser with four lasers allows you to analyse up to 15 different parameters at once from fluorescently labelled samples. Our remote access computing platform allows you to analyse even the most complex datasets from anywhere in the world with internet access using FlowJo software.

• MINDRAY BC-5000 Haematology Analyser
• COBAS Integra 400 Plus high throughput clinical analyser with large range of 120 different assays – used for blood, plasma, urine, CSF, and serum.
• Syngene G:Box DNA and RNA imaging system
• BioRad Chemidoc imager
• Tissue culture facilities within a PC2 lab space.

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Services

Research has established that microbes (e.g. bacteria, fungi etc) play a significant role in human health due to their effect on biological processes in the body such as immune regulation, physiology, development and lifespan. Investigators are interested in studying how different types of microbes can affect disease models and whether we can treat or prevent disease by using “bugs as drugs”. Germ-free (sterile) and Gnotobiotic (defined-flora) research has applications in many fields of medical research, including allergy, cancer, autoimmunity and gastrointestinal disorders.

TRI’s Gnotobiotic facility is the only one of its kind in Queensland, offering housing and technical services to internal and external researchers.

• Production of gnotobiotic and germ-free mice
• Facilities to conduct gnotobiotic and germ-free research
• Technical services and expertise to conduct experimental projects on a researcher’s behalf

C57Bl/6 and BALB/c strains are currently available for purchase, with IVF rederivation now available as a service.

Equipment

• Class biologically clean – flexible film isolators
• Techniplast positive pressure isocages
• Techniplast disposable sterile single use caging

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Infrastructure

• Facilities and their supporting infrastructure are located across a range of campus sites (St Lucia, Herston, Gatton, Woolloongabba, Hidden Vale)
• With facilities designed to assist with a range of species (laboratory, production, wildlife, aquatic)

Services

• Importation and exportation of animals, including post-arrival housing and regulatory compliance for release
• Animal housing in a range of microbiological exclusion conditions, including open to germ-free
• Containment housing for PC2/PC3 and QC3 restricted materials
• Assistance with breeding colony management
• Space for behavioural and longitudinal studies
• Training, including a range of standard techniques from handling and restraint to injection techniques, through to project specific surgeries
• Surgical space with Isoflurane vaporisers
• Advanced reproductive techniques including IVF or Ovary transplantation
• Genetic modification services, includes both established techniques such as microinjection and electroporation, plus developing systems such as CRIPER/Cas9
• Rederivation services, where there is a requirement to frequently “clean” and move animals from one facility/institution to another, depending on the animals’ existing pathogen status
• Cryopreservation services, which is the ability to cryopreserve reproductive tissue (embryos, sperm, ovaries)
• Veterinarian services, that are integral for the research support and compliance with “The Code”

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Services

Serves local veterinary clinics with standard pathology services as well as cutting-edge technologies not available through commercial laboratories:

• Clinical pathology (haematology, biochemistry, hormonal)
• Parasitology
• Microbiology
• Histology
• Cytology
• Anatomical pathology
• Post-mortems.

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