This award will enable Rutgers University at Camden to renovate a tissue culture and radioisotope laboratory to accommodate junior faculty and their students engaged in neuroscience research. Constructed in 1964, the facility, housed in the Science Building, has numerous structural deficiencies and requires substantial renovation to make possible state-of-the-art research involving the in vitro cultivation of cells. Air supply lines and a fume hood for handling radioisotopes and biohazardous substances are absent from the tissue culture room. Animal dissection is conducted in the same room where cells are grown for long term experimentation, thus creating a non-sterile environment. Also the lack of adequate storage area for culture media and cell lines impedes research progress. Funds will be used to upgrade the laboratory which will expand the variety and volume of research presently conducted utilizing tissue culture techniques in the Department of Biology. Added to the increased research activity is the prospect of accommodating additional research faculty members whose work requires the growth of cell lines, hybridomas, or sensitive cell systems that need antibiotic-free media. A modernized facility will also contribute to the training of students, including underrepresented minorities, who may pursue careers in biological and biomedical research. It is anticipated that this project will assist in the establishment of a joint Ph.D. program in Cell and Molecular Biology and Neuroscience with neighboring medical research institutes.
