The mission of the Bioinformatics Data Science Core Facility is to provide scientific expertise and core infrastructure support in Bioinformatics and Biological Data Science for the Delaware research and education community. Drawing on the combined resources of the Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (CBCB), the Delaware Biotechnology Institute (DBI), the Data Science Institute (DSI), and the Protein Information Resource (PIR), the Core provides both computing infrastructure and knowledgeable personnel with significant hardware, software and professional support for bioinformatics and computational needs. Staff scientists with broad expertise encompassing various areas of bioinformatics, computational biology, and biomedical data sciences provide services, consulting, and research collaborations. BioIT and HPC support is provided by the Computing Systems Manager and IT associates of the Delaware Biotechnology Institute.

The University of Delaware Sequencing and Genotyping Center (SGC) supports genomics research through our established expertise with state-of-the-art genomics technologies. Our core center is located in the Delaware Biotechnology Institute, which is an interdisciplinary research unit at the University of Delaware. The SGC provides assistance with experimental design, user training, sample and data analysis. Instrumentation housed in the SGC supports high-throughput, single-molecule, and Sanger sequencing technologies, as well as qualitative and quantitative analysis of nucleic acids.

The Flow Cytometry Core Facility, located at the University of Delaware Main campus (UD) in Newark, Delaware, provides a wide variety of flow cytometry and hematology services for internal and external investigators. The Core facility is equipped with –
• Two 15-color FACSAria Fusion high-speed cell sorter,
• BD Rhapsody Express Cell Processing Unit,
• VetScan HM5c veterinary hematology analyzer,
• Nexcelom Cellometer Vision cell counter,
• Zeiss Axiovert 200 inverted fluorescent microscope,
• Thermo Shandon Cytospin 4 & a Beckman Spinchron DLX centrifuge,
• General Laboratory facilities for Mammalian Cell Culture and Sample preparation,
• Laminar flow BSL-2 biosafety cabinets, microscopes and centrifuges.

The Clinical Research Core promotes excellence in translational research for all human subjects work. Comprehensive support services are available for all aspects of participant recruitment, regulatory submissions, study coordination, data management and biostatistical analysis. The Clinical Research Core has played a central role for all COBRE research and promotes focused and efficient interactions among studies resulting in a well-integrated center that is greater than the sum of its individual parts. The specific aims of the Clinical Research Core are to provide: 1. Support to optimize recruitment and retention of participants for studies; 2. Support for management of all data resources. Direct support for design of data collection forms, data entry and data management will be provided to research investigators; and, 3. Support for biostatistical needs. Biostatisticians will provide consultation regarding statistical analysis, as well as grant and manuscript preparation. For pilot studies, support is available for research design and estimation of sample sizes. The Clinical Research Core serves both translational research projects and the pilot projects. The Clinical Research Core is directly involved in participant recruitment/retention efforts, data management and biostatistical consultation. Depending on the nature of the pilot studies, appropriate support in the areas of recruitment, data management and biostatistical consultation are available, particularly in the realm of research design and sample size estimation. In all, the coordination of clinical research support services in the context of this Clinical Research Core has been a vital component of the COBRE III program here at the Univeristy of Delaware. This Core ensures efficient use of shared resources and maximize productivity of investigators to carryout ongoing studies and to develop new research questions into competitive grant proposals.

The Center for Translational Cancer Research Core Facility is a multi-user facility, with equipment located in Wolf Hall and the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center. Available equipment include an ABI 7000 and 7300 Prism real-time PCR, IVIS Lumina System imager, and BD FACSCalibur, FACSAria II flow cytometers (located at Graham cancer Center) as well an AlphaImager gel documentation system and FluorchemQ chemi-Imager. The facility also has a Glomax Multi-modal plate reader that allows for measuring luminescence, fluorescence and absorbance and several equipment for sample preparation: microcentrifuges, scales, ph meter, spectrophotometer etc. Facilities are available to university researchers, their collaborators and industry on a fee-for-service basis.

The University of Delaware Bio-Imaging Center is a multi-user microscopy facility that houses state-of-the-art microscopy equipment. Our staff has technical expertise across the gamut of microscopy platforms and methodologies. With a special emphasis on life sciences and soft materials, we are able to address the broad imaging needs of the university, non-profit and industrial research community. The center is open to all academic researchers and industrial clients on a fee-for-service basis. The center is jointly housed at the Delaware Biotechnology Institute, Suite 117, and the Department of Biological Sciences, 304 Wolf Hall.

Consulting and services in X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS, also called ESCA), Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (TOF-SIMS), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM)

The Protein Production Core (PPC) Facility is a core laboratory that serves academic investigators in Delaware. The PPC is part of shared core facilities supported by the Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) in Membrane Protein Production and Characterization at the University of Delaware. The PPC has modern instrumentation for large scale expression, purification and characterization of prokaryotic and eukaryotic proteins for investigators and researchers. The core supports the production of proteins in quantities suitable for structural studies (X-ray and NMR) and functional studies (biological or catalytic). The PPC also has state-of-the-art analytical ultracentrifuge for studying macromolecule interactions.