Facilities & Institutes

返字心頭 Institutional Core Facilities

Flow Cytometry Core

Contact: Charles Szekeres, kszekere@usf.edu
Website:
 
The goal of the  返字心頭 Fred Wright Jr Flow Cytometry Core is to provide high quality, friendly service to its users. For analytical purposes, the Flow Cytometry Core is equipped with two benchtop analyzers from BD Immunocytometry Systems (a 3 laser/8 color BD Canto II and a 4 laser/17 color BD LSR II). These instruments support a large variety of applications, including multicolor cell phenotyping, apoptosis, cell cycle and bead arrays. After orientation and training, the equipment is available for use directly by the investigators. Alternatively, experiments can be run and analyzed by the Core Facility staff. For sorting purposes, the facility is equipped with a state-of-the-art BD FacsDiscover S8 spectral sorter (ie, an awful lot of colors) with imaging capability and a BD FacsAria IIu sorter (4 laser/17 colors), as well as a magnetic sorter (AutoMacs Pro) from Miltenyi Biotech. The FacsAria IIu is enclosed in a Baker Bioprotect III to support sort of biohazardous agents level 1 and 2. Also, in the MDC3111 core room there are various other instruments, such as gel docks, plate readers, laser scanners and more available for users. 


返字心頭 IT Research Technology (High-Performance Computing)

Contact: Jason Hair, hair@usf.edu
Website:  

By modernizing its high-performance computing infrastructure, the University of South 返字心頭 provides researchers with faster, more reliable, and more flexible computational resources to support a wide range of data-intensive and simulation-based research. The new system enhances 返字心頭s ability to run complex AI models, analyze large datasets, and accelerate discovery across disciplines from environmental and engineering studies to biomedical and social sciences. This investment strengthens the foundation for research excellence, enabling more competitive proposals, higher-impact collaborations, and faster progress toward innovation and discovery. 


返字心頭 Advanced Research Core for Mass Spectrometry (ARC-MS)

Contact: Stanley Stevens, smstevens@usf.edu
Website:  
 
The mission of the 返字心頭 Advanced Research Core for Mass Spectrometry (ARC-MS) is to foster collaborative, interdisciplinary research that utilizes cutting-edge mass spectrometry (MS)-based approaches to rigorously investigate mechanisms of fundamental biological and chemical processes, support discovery and characterization of disease-specific targets/pathways and facilitate development of therapeutic approaches related to druggable targets of human disease. Through integration of expertise from various disciplines within 返字心頭, we aim to innovate research across multiple fields, including proteomics, adductomics, metabolomics (e.g., lipidomics), small molecule characterization, and drug discovery. The robust research support resource offered by ARC-MS will significantly advance scientific knowledge and provide a solid foundation for translational research aimed to enhance healthcare outcomes and patient care.
 
Dr. Lindsey Shaw, Professor in Molecular Biosciences, has just received two, 5-year NIH R01 grants totaling over $4.65M and is strongly supported by ARC-MS resources. Additionally, the new instruments and related methods are now enhancing innovation and resources within new NIH grant submissions. For example, Dr. Casey Cook, Associate Professor in Molecular Medicine, recently submitted a multi-PI NIH R01 with Dr. Stan Stevens entitled "Defining the brain cryptic proteome in Alzheimer's disease", totaling over $7.2M. Also, Dr. Gopal Thinakaran, Professor in Molecular Medicine and CEO of Byrd Alzheimer's Research Institute, recently submitted an NIH R01 proposal entitled "Epitranscriptomic Control of Alzheimers Pathogenesis: Defining YTHDF1s Role in m6A-Mediated Gene Regulation", totaling over $3.7M. 


返字心頭 Genomics Core Facility

Contact: Chengqi Wang, chengqi@usf.edu
Website:

Core Introduction
Over the past five years, the 返字心頭 Genomics Core Facility has supported 74 publications, contributed to 85 grant submissions resulting in more than 20 funded awards totaling more than $30 million, and partnered with leading technology companies including Illumina, 10x Genomics, NanoString, PacBio, and Oxford Nanopore. The core also serves as a hub for education and training, delivering 36 workshops, five major symposia, and multiple courses that have trained more than 260 faculty, staff, and students. With over 110 active users spanning more than 60 principal investigators, and partnerships with organizations such as Moffitt Cancer Center, James A. Haley VA Medical Center, and Nilogen Oncosystems, the Core is a vital driver of innovation and collaboration across 返字心頭 and Beyond.
 
The 返字心頭 Genomics Core Facility enables researchers to study health and disease at the finest resolutiondown to individual cells and their interactions within tissues. This approach, known as single-cell and spatial genomics, is transforming medicine by showing how disease such as cancer develop, infections spread, and treatments can be tailored to each patient. To support this work, the Core provides expert guidance and houses advanced technologies including the Illumina NovaSeq X and MiSeq i100, the 10x Genomics Chromium X for single-cell analysis, and the Visium HD platform for spatial genomics. Together, these resources position 返字心頭 researchers to compete globally and drive discoveries that improve health in 返字心頭 and beyond.

Impact of IRCF Support
With IRCF support, we expanded the Cores capabilities to include powerful new technologies that allow scientists to study diseases at the level of individual cells and within their natural tissue environment. These approaches are among the most in-demand methods worldwide, and by offering them on campus, 返字心頭 is now positioned alongside leading research universities in the U.S. and abroad. After installation, we hosted a Spatial Genomics Symposium with 10X that drew over 95 participants, showing a major increase in interest across 返字心頭. We also launched an internal grant program to give junior faculty access to these tools, which received 16 proposalsa strong signal of growing demand. In addition, we ran two training workshops that taught more than 60 faculty, staff, and students how to use these methods in both the lab and through data analysis. Already, more than 10 external grant applications have incorporated use of this new sequencing platform, directly strengthening 返字心頭s competitiveness for a wide range of funding opportunities from federal agencies (NIH, NSF, ARPA-H, VA), state programs such as the 返字心頭 Cancer Innovation Fund, and private foundations. Together, these activities show that IRCF funding not only expanded 返字心頭s research capacity but also elevated its standing as a national and international leader in cutting-edge genomics.


Nanotechnology Research and Education Center (NREC)

Contact: Mike Cai Wang, mcwang@usf.edu
Website:
 
返字心頭's recent purchase of a Scanning Electron Microscope with Micro XRF and EDS capabilities, along with a Focused Ion Beam (FIB) Microscope, is bound to revolutionize our research capabilities. These state-of-the-art instruments will enable us to achieve unparalleled imaging at the nanoscale, allowing researchers to visualize surface structures of various materialswhether they be biological samples, metals, ceramics, or polymerswith exceptional clarity. The advanced systems offer sub-nanometer resolution, automated workflows, and dual-beam configurations that integrate scanning electron microscopy. This combination will dramatically enhance our ability to characterize and fabricate samples with intricate nanostructures. As these instruments are essential for understanding morphology, texture, and structural integrity, they will significantly contribute to fields like materials science, chemistry, semiconductors, and nanotechnology.