Equipment - Biological Models
Biological laboratories of the Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry are equipped for study and biological characterization of biomaterials designed for tissue engineering, restorative medicine or drug carriers of therapeutics or diagnostics.
1. Plate-reader Biotek H1 – a hybrid spectrophotometric system, which allows an analysis in 6-96 well plates. The instrument is equipped with 2 monochromators, which allows a measurement of absorbance in the range of 230-999 nm, fluorescence in range of 250-700 nm and luminiscence in range of 300-700 nm. In addition to that, this instrument is equipped with TAKE3 plate, due to which it is possible to measure in microvolumes – 2 µl.
2. StepOnePlus™ Real-Time PCR System – the instrument allowing reading of gene expression in real time, expression of micro-RNA, genotyping, gene expression profiling and methylation.
3. Veriti® Thermal Cycler – the instrument allowing polymerase chain reaction and DNA amplification.
4. Innova® 42R – a shaker, which is designed for aerobic cultivation of mostly bacterial cultures or yeast cultures with defined temperature and speed. This model allows also cooling of the inside environment 20 degrees below external environmental temperature.
5. Laminar boxes Biohazard II. grade MSC Advantage (120cm – 2x, 150cm – 1x) – laminar boxes are dedicated for operation in microbiology and biotechnology laboratories with biosafety levels 1, 2 and 3. The box allows sterile work and protection of the samples against contamination as well as protection of the laboratory worker safety, while working with biologically hazardous materials.
6. CO2 incubator Thermo Forma Direct Heat – an apparatus allowing cultivation of eukaryotic cell cultures with defined temperature and CO2 level.
7. Heraeus Multifuge X1R – a cooled centrifuge in use with several rotors.
8. Cytospin ISA, 0.6 l – a compact table multifunctional centrifuge with cooling (or without). Its capacity is 0.6 l and is powered to 6700 rotation speed for various types of applications. The apparatus allows preparation of suspension cell cultures for microscopy. On the principle of centrifugation, uniform cell adhesion to the microscopy glass surface is achieved.
9. MicroBeta2 Plate counter – the instrument for radiometric and luminescent applications. It is dedicated for experiments on solutions using radioactive labelling with isotopes 3H, 14C, 32P, 3P, 35S, 51Cr, 125I and for luminescence experiments.
10. Laser scanning confocal microscope with module for correlation spectroscopy and time-lapse fluorescent microscopy – this instrument allows observation by visible light microscopy, fluorescence microscopy, differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy, laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM), fluorescence correlation and cross-correlation spectroscopy (FCS and FCCS) and methods with sample irradiated by short laser pulse, where signals are detected by detectors with high time resolution – fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) and fluorescence lifetime correlation spectroscopy (FLCS).
11. Flow cytometer BD FACSVerse – digital flow cytometer with three lasers (405 nm, 488 nm and 640 nm) and 10 detectors. The instrument allows high sensitivity of fluorescence detection and it is equipped with data collecting software.
12. Light microscope Optika – trinocular inverted light microscope with phase contrast.
13. Fluorescence microscope Optika – inverted epifluorescence microscope with long distance objectives. The microscope is equipped by excitation blocking filter in blue, green and UV spectrum.
14. Systems for agarose and SDS-PAGE electrophoresis, immunoblotting – suitable for DNA, RNA or protein detection and analysis.
15. SYNGENE PXi6-TCH Access – is a compact, highly sensitive and precise bio-imaging system with integrated PC for chemiluminescence application, Western blot, UV, VIS, RGBIR and stain-free protein quantification.
16. Heracell Vios 160i biological incubator with CO2 and N2 atmosphere – suitable for cultures with the highest requirements for quality and stability of culture environment, option for cultivation in hypoxic environment.
17. Electroporator – it is a device creating an electromagnetic field in a cell suspension, resulting in pores that are large enough to allow macromolecules (e.g., DNA) to enter the cell. This method, so-called electroporation, is used for genetic engineering.
Further, our laboratory is equipped with smaller instruments commonly used in biological laboratories: tabletop centrifuges, vortex mixers, pipettes, pH meters, balances etc.