The University of Maine CORE DNA Sequencing facility provides high quality and reliable Sanger sequencing and other services to labs on campus and beyond. Users can choose the degree of in-house processing to accommodate individual needs, providing flexibility for clients of all levels. The facility is in the process of expanding our services so keep an eye out for future developments. We’re happy to answer questions and discuss your research needs.

Facility supports micro- and nanoscale fabrication, microsensor development, and atomic-scale materials synthesis. Provides comprehensive technical capabilities, including microlithography (mask aligners, photoresist processing, laser lithography), thin film deposition (e-beam evaporation, sputtering, PECVD, atomic layer deposition), and advanced characterization tools (profilometry, spectroscopic ellipsometry). Fabrication processes are supported by both dry etching (DRIE, RIE) and wet chemical processing (RCA clean, KOH etch, solvent benches), as well as thermal processing systems such as diffusion furnaces and rapid thermal annealing.

Facility is outfitted with the Aquatic Habitats for Accelerated Bioresearch (AHAB) fish rearing system (Aquatic Habitats, Apopka, FL). This system is composed of five-foot wide, five-level, stainless steel racks using any combination of tank sizes (3 and 10 liter). Water input lines deliver UV-sterilized water to each tank through an independent valve. The fish tanks have self-cleaning bottoms and the effluent system features an optically clear design. The filter system requires minimal maintenance, and maintains high water quality, dramatically reduced disease and mortality.

Core provides animal care and assists investigators in fulfilling their obligation to plan and conduct animal research in accordance with scientific, humane and ethical principles. SARF has a multizone temperature and airflow control to allow for various environments necessary to research projects. SARF also features quarantine suite with separate entrance and personal protective equipment (PPE), and is outfitted with RAIR HD Super Mouse 750 ventilated rack holding 126 cages. Daily care and feeding is provided by trained staff, and surgery prep, surgical area, and recovery area are available for use.

Core offers tools and technical expertise for research and training in microscopy with both light and electron microscopes. Maintains and operates electron microscopes (SEM with EDS), confocal laser scanning microscope, and tancillary equipment needed for preparation of specimens for EM and other microscopy. Light microscopes encompass optics for bright-field, phase-contrast, Nomarski differential-interference, polarizing, and fluorescence imaging.

Core offers imaging for diverse applications, including multi-color experiments, live sample imaging, protein colocalization, large sample tiling, and Z-stack 3D/4D imaging, as well as weak label detection. Provides expert guidance in microscopy and image analysis, training and support to advance research across various model organisms.

The University of Maine DNA Sequencing Facility was established in 1994 through a NSF EPSCoR grant to support Marine Molecular Biology at the University of Maine. Though we are relatively small, we feel one of our greatest assets is our excellent customer service and our ability to work one on one with our clients to give them the best sequencing experience possible. We have clients all over the United States as well as many other countries throughout the world.

The facility currently has two full time employees, Ms. Patty Singer, manager of the facility and Mr. David Cox, technician. Dr. Rebecca Van Beneden is the faculty supervisor and, as the first faculty hired under the NSF EPSCoR grant, was charged with establishing the facility.

The facility initially used an ABI 373 DNA Sequencer but quickly upgraded to the stretch version of that instrument to offer improved read lengths. Several years later, the facility acquired the newer ABI 377 DNA Sequencer to accommodate the increased sequencing and DNA fragment analysis needs of our customers. In 2003, the facility purchased its capillary sequencer, the 3730 DNA Analyzer from ABI. This instrument has allowed for improvements in data quality, read length, and turnaround time for our clients.