The Research Core Facility (RCF) at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center at Shreveport provides investigators, post-doctoral fellows, and graduate and undergraduate students with access to a wide variety of research services, educational and training opportunities, and state-of-the-art technologies. Each technology is staffed by a trained research specialist.  These technologies include cellular metabolism, flow cytometry, high-performance computing, mass spectrometry, fluorescence, confocal, and super resolution confocal microscopy, next generation sequencing, real-time PCR, and transmission electromagnetic microscopy. The Research Core Facility provides assistance with all aspects of these technologies, including experimental design, protocol optimization, instrument operation, and data analysis. All services are available on a fee-for-service basis to internal and external researchers.

The biorepository, a Feist-Weiller Cancer Center (FWCC) supported resource, provides a gateway through which institutionally supported investigators involved in IRB-approved research projects or clinical trials can acquire the human tissue samples or hematological samples required to support their research. The overall objective of FWCC Biorepository is to support translational research by functioning as the primary fresh-frozen tissue acquisition and processing facility for human solid tissue and hematopoietic specimens. To support future research studies, the FWCC Biorepository utilizes an IRB-approved protocol and consent form to prospectively collect and process high-quality specimens. The FWCC Biorepository works in collaboration with medical and surgical teams at Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport, the Department of Pathology to procure remnant tissue for research purposes, and investigators in need of biospecimens for their research. Additionally, FWCC Biorepository provides customized services and equipment to assist investigators in the procurement, analyses, and clinicopathologic correlation of human tissue specimens.

The Immunophenotyping Core is an NIH funded program within The Center for Applied Immunology and Pathological Processes (CAIPP). The Immunophenotyping Core provides services that allow for isolation of cellular populations from complex tissues, automated quantification of cell numbers, quantification of GFP, DAPI, RFP, Cy5 or Cy7 positive populations, automated quantification of cytokine concentration in supernatants and biological samples, and high-quality flow cytometric and microscopic assay development and execution. The Core operates as a fee for service facility and is available to all researchers at LSUHS. Services outside of LSUHS will require a prior contract agreement. The Immunophenotyping Core will also provide training and education opportunities.

Manuscripts using services of the CAIPP Immunophenotyping Core should cite the COBRE Grant Award NIH/NIGMS CoBRE award P20 GM134974.

INLET is a high-throughput high-content screening (HTS) facility focused on the discovery and development of a wide range of drugs and genetic targets that affect human diseases including cancer, fungal, bacterial and viral infection, neurological disorders and cardiovascular disorders. Both live and fixed high-throughput microscopy is performed using Incucyte S3, Incucyte SX5 and the Cellomics ArrayScan VTI HCS Reader. 

The Bioinformatics and Modeling Core is an NIH funded program within The Center for Applied Immunology and Pathological Processes (CAIPP). The Bioinformatics and Modeling Core is a primary resource center at LSUHSC-S supporting all ‘omics data analysis, network modeling, and data science research. The Core operates as a fee for service facility and is available to all researchers at LSUHS. Services outside of LSUHS will require a prior contract agreement. The Bioinformatics and Modeling Core will also provide training and education opportunities.

Manuscripts using services of the CAIPP Bioinformatics and Modeling Core should cite the COBRE Grant Award NIH/NIGMS CoBRE award P20 GM134974.

The CoBRE Redox Molecular Signaling Core is divided functionally and spatially into two sub-cores: the Analytic Redox Biology Sub-Core and the Molecular Signaling Sub-Core. Analytical Redox Biology Sub-Core. The Analytical Redox Biology Sub-Core offers high-quality, accurate measurements of reactive oxygen species, reactive nitrogen species, reactive sulfide species, protein, peptides, metabolites, and lipids in cell culture and tissue samples. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) systems, coupled with UV-vis and fluorescence detectors, are utilized to specifically quantify cellular and mitochondrial superoxide production, hydrogen sulfide pools (free sulfide, sulfide bound to transitional metals, and sulfane sulfur), and thiols (glutathione, GSH/GSSG, cysteine, cystine, homocysteine, persulfides, and glutathionylation). In addition, this core facility employs a versatile and highly sensitive Sievers NO Analyzer (NOA 280i, GE) capable of measuring nitric oxide, nitrite, nitrate, nitrosoheme, and nitrosothiols in a variety of biological samples. Furthermore, an Agilent 8890 GC and 8335 sulfur chemiluminescence detector can provide high-quality data for the identification and quantification of various biological sulfur compounds. To facilitate redox proteomics and metabolomics, this core facility utilizes both a Thermo Scientific™ Orbitrap Exploris™ 480 and a SCIEX Triple Quad 7500 mass spectrometer. The Exploris 480 is a quadrupole-Orbitrap™ mass spectrometer that provides high-resolution, accurate-mass (HRAM) data useful for low-abundance, high-complexity samples at sub-ppb concentrations and/or sub-ppm mass differences. Ideal applications include protein identification and quantification, shotgun proteomics, single-cell proteomics, and tandem mass tag (TMT) multiplexing. The SCIEX Triple Quad 7500 system provides sensitive quantitative and qualitative measurements for metabolomics and lipidomics by MRM scan, production scan, neutral loss scan, enhanced product ion scans, and MRM3 mode.
Molecular Signaling Sub-Core. The Molecular Signaling Sub-Core offers services for molecular cloning and site-directed mutagenesis, as well as design and production of vectors for CRISPR/Cas9 modification of vascular cells. This core provides services for endothelial, smooth muscle, and cardiac myocyte cell isolation, for generation of vascular cell lines, and for lentivirus production for transient or stable modification of cardiovascular cells. In addition, this core provides access to equipment and expertise for studying the cellular effects of hypoxia/reoxygenation injury (Coy Hypoxic Chamber, CLARIOstar Spectrofluorometer), for automated capillary Western blot analysis (ProteinSimple Jess Simple Western), and for high-resolution fluo-respirometry to study mitochondrial function (Oroboros O2k modular system).

Funded by an NIGMS COBRE grant for the Center for Redox Biology and Cardiovascular Diseases, the Animal Models and Histology Core facility provides services for mouse genotyping and tissue histology,  as well as access to state‐of‐the‐art tools for analyzing  cardiovascular function. All services are available on a fee-for-service basis to COBRE and non-COBRE investigators, as well as extramural researchers. This core is divided functionally and spatially into two distinct sub-cores: The Histology and Genotyping Sub-Core. The genotyping component of the Histology and Genotyping Sub-core genotypes mice using PCR or real-time PCR. This subcore also provides a centralized histology service with tissue processing, paraffin-embedding and sectioning, along with several cardiovascular‐relevant histological stains such as Picrosirius Red and Masson’s Trichrome. The Histology and Genotyping Sub-Core. The genotyping component of the Histology and Genotyping Sub-core genotypes mice using PCR or real-time PCR. This subcore also provides a centralized histology service with tissue processing, paraffin-embedding and sectioning, along with several cardiovascular‐relevant histological stains such as Picrosirius Red and Masson’s Trichrome. Both sub-cores have full‐time staff who can perform measurements. The Cardiovascular Phenotyping Sub-core can also provide analysis of data, and can train lab personnel to use the core equipment. The Center for Cardiovascular Diseases and Sciences has a Surgical Models Core in which there is dedicated staff who can generate cardiovascular-related animal models (such as myocardial infarction, middle cerebral artery occlusion) – this core seamlessly interfaces with the Animal Models and Histology Core to provide a genotyping-to-endpoint pipeline for cardiovascular research.

The Small Animal Imaging Facility (SAIF) at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center at Shreveport provides state of the art noninvasive imaging support to investigators who use small animal models in their research.  The SAIF currently provides a spectrum of imaging modalities including optical imaging (bioluminescence and fluorescence imaging), X-ray imaging, computed tomography (CT), and positron emission tomography (PET). The SAIF also provides imaging support services for investigators, including assistance in experimental design, conducting animal studies including anesthetization and imaging acquisition, and processing and interpreting imaging data