The Comprehensive Flow Cytometry Core (CFCC) is directed by Dr. John D. Mountz with assistance of Co-Directors, Drs.Troy Randall and Olaf Kutsch. The goal of the CFCC is to enhance the productivity of the research base of the UAB Rheumatic Disease Core Center (RDCC) through state-of-the-art flow cytometry and cell separation technologies. To accomplish this, the Core provides the equipment, service and expertise necessary for the application of flow cytometry and related technologies to cell analyses and cell purification at a reasonable cost. These services play a key role in studies of disease pathogenesis and identification of potential therapeutic targets, as well as in analysis of determinants of disease susceptibility and drug responsiveness, and pre-clinical testing of potential therapeutic reagents.
Our Specific Aims are: 1 Service. To improve service by continued improvements of our equipment, through enhanced sophistication of our user base, optimal efficiency of sample analysis, rigorous quality control of all operations and maintenance of operator proficiency for technologically challenging applications. 2. Outreach &Education. To provide informal tutorials, formal courses, symposia, and web-based information with the goals of increasing our user base through enhanced awareness of flow cytometry and introducing established users to newer technologies and applications. 3. Development. To develop new applications in response to users'needs and to take full advantage of equipment capabilities, through discussions with users, participation in international flow cytometry meetings, and inclusion of knowledgeable core users on our Advisory Committee. To keep pace with research needs of the RDCC investigators, we have expanded the capacity of the CFCC and introduced new equipment and technologies. Continued development of innovative applications is enhanced by the depth of expertise at UAB and external collaborations. Education is accomplished through bi-weekly Individualized Design of Experiments &Analyses Sessions (IDEAs) in which the Director/Co-Directors interact with investigators to develop protocols and applications, including integration of flow cytometry aspects in the experimental design with other Cores, including AIIC and AGTC.
The Comprehensive Flow Cytometry Core provides instrumentation and expertise to support fundamental mechanistic studies of rheumatic diseases and autoimmunity. Furthermore, the CFCC resources support the identification of new biomarkers for disease diagnosis and the development of novel treatments.
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