February 2025
Welcome to the ASU Core Facilities Newsletter. We are ready to support all your research goals. Please follow us a Linkedin for additional resources and community information.
Advancing Health Solutions
Equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, advanced equipment capabilities and staffed with experienced personnel, ASU Core Research Facilities offers a variety of services to advance research dedicated to human health.
This month, we highlight our support for cancer research, stem cell therapy, drug development and advancements in diabetes, organ failure and regenerative medicine. We also cover efforts in therapy development for cancer, brain disorders and slow-healing wounds, along with brain metabolism studies. Plus, updates from the Clinical Research Services Core and an introduction to CHiR.
Supporting cancer research, stem cell therapy and drug development
The Flow Cytometry and Genomics Core Facilities supported Benjamin Bartelle, Assistant Professor at the ASU School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering and leader of the BioProtean Lab, in developing ccAFv2, a tool that accurately identifies cell growth stages using gene activity data.
Joy Blain and Anna Engelbrektson from the Genomics Core and Adam Kindelin from the Flow Cytometry Core provided critical support for scRNA-seq library prep, quality control and fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). This breakthrough could advance cancer research, stem cell therapy and drug development.
Learn about the development of the ccAFv2 tool.
Advancing diabetes, organ failure and regenerative medicine research
Assistant Professor Jessica Weaver of the School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering isdeveloping pO2 reporter composite hydrogels (PORCH) to measure oxygen levels in microencapsulation devices, which protect transplanted cells and reduce the need for immune suppression.
Weaver used the Leica SP8 white light laser confocal microscope in the Advanced Light Microscopy Core Facility for the PORCH cytotoxicity assessment. A key challenge in microencapsulation is ensuring transplanted cells get enough oxygen to survive and function.
This research helps improve device design and supports cell-based therapies for diabetes, organ failure and regenerative medicine.
View Leica SP8 microscope showcase video on YouTube.
How PORCH may enable the design of improved devices.
Creating therapies for cancer, brain disorders and slow-healing wounds
Brian Cherry and Samrat Amin of the Magnetic Resonance Research Center used the Bruker 850 MHz Avance III HD spectrometer to support Drs. Eathen Ryan, Di Shen and Xu Wang of ASU’s School of Molecular Sciences in studying how the protein Pleiotrophin (PTN) interacts with glycosaminoglycans (GAGs).
Researchers found that PTN can still bind to heparin, a type of GAG, even when parts of its structure are missing, offering new insights into cell communication and growth. These findings could inform treatments for cancer, neurodegenerative diseases and wound healing.
How Pleiotrophin adapts to glycosaminoglycan interactions.
Computing better health outcomes
The Research Computing Core Facility supports and advances research with the KE Secure Cloud. The KE Secure Cloud is a secure computing environment for ASU research supporting health studies and multi-institution collaborations while meeting FERPA, HIPAA and CUI compliance.
KE Secure Cloud provides ASRE Virtual Desktops for secure, customizable research environments and access to the Aloe Supercomputer. It enables health data access and collaboration among researchers in the domains of infectious disease, clinical research, social determinants of health and more.
Developing methods that enable brain metabolism studies
The Core Research Facilities collaborate with universities and industry to drive scientific advancements. Our Instrument Design and Fabrication (IDF) Core supported Providence College’s Department of Biology by creating custom micro-tissue restraints to hold Drosophila brains in place. This let researchers deliver drugs to each brain and study how its metabolism changed.
The IDF Machine Shop team used their Hardinge Super Precision Lathe in a labor-intensive process to fabricate these small restraints.
While this study focused on fly brains, this method could help researchers better understand metabolic changes linked to neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, potentially leading to new drug targets and treatments.
A new method for measuring brain metabolism in model systems.
The forthcoming Health Observatory at ASU
The Health Observatory at ASU uses real-time, data-driven insights to track and mitigate health crises, creating a more equitable and resilient health care system. This model not only improves health outcomes in Arizona but can also scale nationally to inform public health decisions.
The Research Computing Core is developing a platform for the Health Observatory that enables data integration across multiple domains, including social and environmental factors, and facilitates collaboration with improved secure data-sharing capabilities.
Preparing Arizona for future health crises.
Updates from the Clinical Research Services Core
The Clinical Research Services Core Facility is growing, with new staff and equipment enhancing its services to better support clinical research needs.
Blood analysis and phlebotomy technologies
Advancements in blood analysis and phlebotomy technology are improving accuracy, efficiency and patient outcomes. Automated blood analyzers reduce human error, while enhanced needle systems make blood collection more comfortable. The Clinical Research Services Core Facility remains committed to integrating these innovations for the highest level of care and precision.
Immunoassays improving patient care
Immunoassays enhance the accuracy and efficiency of laboratory analyses in the Clinical Research Services Core Facility. The Beckman Coulter Au480 ensures high-throughput, reliable processing of complex immunoassays, while the Access 2 Immunoassay System delivers precise results with low sample volumes. These advanced analyzers support fast turnaround times, contributing to informed clinical decisions and improved patient care.
Expanding the Exercise Lab
The Clinical Exercise Physiology Laboratory is expanding its testing capabilities with new equipment, including an environmental chamber. These advancements will support research in performance, metabolic and disease-related testing. More updates on exercise testing will be shared soon.
Enhancing the Imaging Center
The Clinical Research Services Core recently expanded its equipment with imaging machines with a new GE Dexa and a Philips Epic Elite Ultrasound machine, furthering their ability to provide high-quality imaging. These advancements enable them to conduct more accurate assessments and offer a range of ultrasound and Dexa exams; the gold standard for Body Composition testing.
Looking for a trusted partner for cutting-edge analytics and data from Arizona?
For over 25 years, the Center for Health Information & Research (CHiR) has served as a community resource and partner for organizations and individuals, providing comprehensive information, data analytics and reporting for all types of uses.
CHiR's dynamic interdisciplinary team is comprised of talented individuals from diverse backgrounds who combine their collective experience from a variety of industries to assist you in understanding health and health care today.
CHiR can inform your efforts by providing:
- Health data scientists experienced in working with a wealth of health data to conduct data engineering, analytics, statistical programming, modeling, data visualization and reporting.
- Faculty associates who are experts in health policy, health economics, epidemiology, clinical practice, informatics and other areas.
- State-of-the-art technology, a secure environment and analytic tools and methods for sophisticated and timely analyses.
- Knowledge of the latest research and policy changes at the federal and state level and understanding of health systems.
- Interpretations of data nuances for complete and accurate analyses and reporting of results.
- Support for faculty, staff and student health studies across ASU; research and health care operations assistance to local health systems, state agencies, community health centers, clinics, other organizations and technical assistance to inform multi-state research studies.
Publication
Unveiling a novel memory center in human brain: neurochemical identification of the nucleus incertus, a key pontine locus implicated in stress and neuropathology
Authors: Camila de Ávila, Anna Gugula, Aleksandra Trenk, Anthony J. Intorcia, Crystal Suazo, Jennifer Nolz, Julie Plamondon, Divyanshi Khatri, Lauren Tallant, Alexandre Caron, Anna Blasiak, Geidy E. Serrano, Thomas G. Beach, Andrew L. Gundlach and Diego F. Mastroeni
The Regenerative Medicine Core, part of our Biosciences Core, is honored to have supported this research with our Olympus VS200 Slide Scanner. This upright automated slide scanning microscope is equipped with two cameras: a Hamamatsu sCMOS Orca Fusion and a CMOS color camera.
Abstract
The study identifies a novel memory center in the human brain, known as the nucleus incertus (NI) and provides a detailed neurochemical characterization of this region. The findings suggest that the NI plays a significant role in various cognitive functions.
Introduction
NI is a brainstem region historically described with an uncertain function, but recent research highlights its role in spatial and contextual fear memory through connections with the septohippocampal system. NI neurons also produce the relaxin-3, which influences learning and memory processes.
Conclusion
The study confirms that the anatomy and neurochemistry of the NI are preserved across species. Key markers related to the GABAergic system, stress response and phosphorylated-tau in Alzheimer’s disease were identified in human NI neurons.
Learn about nucleus incertus applications.
Interested in seeing new capital equipment brought to the Core Facilities? Fill out the form to request equipment.