The Koch Institute features 15 core facilities that provide key technical services to our faculty. From routine (though essential) support services to advanced technical and consulting services, these facilities facilitate and enhance the important research being conducted on a daily basis. Many of the facilities also offer training program that enable Koch Institute staff, students, and postdoctoral fellows to acquire the additional technical and intellectual expertise needed to advance both their work and their careers.
The Bioinformatics & Computing Facility provides Koch Institute researchers with assistance and training in a wide range of bioinformatics related topics. Examples include the experimental design and subsequent analysis of next-generation sequencing (Solexa) data, micro-array data, genome annotation, protein sequence analysis, and phylogenetic analysis. The facility also provides Koch Institute members with critical data backup as well as installation and maintenance of desktop hardware and a variety of software, including scientific applications. more >>
The Biopolymer Facility provides routine Sanger DNA sequencing in addition to next-generation genomic DNA sequencing (Solexa) and digital expression-tag analysis, peptide synthesis and purification, peptide arrays, mass spectrometry, high-pressure liquid chromatographic analysis and purification, and other services. more >>
The Flow Cytometry Facility provides high-speed cell sorting services as well as access, training, and support in the use of bench-top analysis flow cytometers. more >>
The Glassware Preparation Facility at the Koch Institute provides centralized services to all internal Koch Institute member laboratories. Our primary goal is to consistently provide sterile glassware at an exceptionally high, tissue culture-grade standard. We provide labs with a wide variety of sterile and non-sterile glass and labware. Glassware is stocked at specific locations throughout the Koch Institute, according to the needs of laboratories on each floor. more >>
The Histology Facility at the Koch Institute assists investigators in producing quality histological slides. We have the equipment and expertise to produce sections from frozen, paraffin-embedded, and resin-embedded tissues. We can produce routine hematoxylin and eosin-stained slides and special stains, and can provide assistance to investigators performing immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, and in-situ hybridization. With these tools, investigator are better able to evaluate the pathologic consequences of various mutations or treatments. more >>
The Hybridoma Production Facility is a cell culture facility that provides recombination production services utilizing bioreactors and similar technologies. These systems are useful in the production of engineered antibodies or other proteins of interest.
The Materials Characterization Facility provides analysis of complex polymeric materials and other soft materials using techniques such as light scattering, gel permeation and high-pressure liquid chromatography, preparatory phase GPC for polymer purification, thermal analysis, and surface probe microscopy. These tools enable the characterization of materials of interest as drug- and gene-delivery vehicles, imaging, and nano- and microparticles and devices.
The Media Preparation Facility at the Koch Institute provides internal Koch Institute member laboratories with a wide array of high-quality custom-made bacterial, yeast, and tissue culture media. Member laboratories receive deliveries of standard media to established locations on each floor of the Koch Institute. more >>
The Micro-Array Technology Facility provides fee-for-service gene expression micro-array analysis on Affymetrix and Agilent platforms. more >>
The Microscopy and Imaging Facility provides expert training and advice in several areas of microscopy and imaging:
Established in 2002, this shared resource of the Koch Institute provides fee-for-service support to all MIT investigators who utilize novel mouse models to study human diseases such as cancer. The Rippel Transgenic Facility specializes in assisting researchers with the design, generation, maintenance, and analysis of mice containing designer mutations. We also provide skilled assistance with a variety of protocols utilizing mouse ES cells (establishment of new lines, differentiation into specific cell types).
The Preclinical Mouse Models Facility provides access to instrumentation for in vivo, whole animal imaging, including bioluminescence and microCT technologies. more >>
The Proteomics Facility provides services related to the identification, characterization, and quantitation of proteins from simple to complex mixtures. Approaches include the use of 1D-gel, 2D-gel, or chromatographic fractionation methods followed by mass spectrometric analysis. Stable isotope derivatization and specialized software are available for quantitation of differential protein expression. more >>
The Shared Resources Facility covers the maintenance of infrastructure and large shared equipment essential for research of all groups in E17/E18. The facility also covers various required safety operations and activities. more >>
The Virus Production Facility provides infrastructure for investigators to produce high-titer viral preparations for gene inhibition studies with viral shRNA vectors and for viral gene transfer experiments. more >>
