Facilities

The Department of Genetics, Genomics and Cancer Sciences provides an environment for performance of ‘cutting edge’ research and houses resources supportive of local, national and international research excellence. Managed by leading researchers of international standing, our facilities underpin studies of genome biology, genomic variation, genetics, cellular biology, microbial pathogenesis, circadian behavioural and plant biology, and are adaptable to user requirements.

Facilities within the Department of Genetics, Genomics and Cancer Sciences facilities comprise:-

• Primary and Immortalised Cell Culture Facilities - offering a shared, managed suite of cell culture laboratories.
• Wolfson Category 2 Infectious Diseases Laboratory – a safe and secure environment for performing infections of primary and immortalized cells, organoids and tissue sections with a range of category 2 or 2+ infectious agents.
• Drosophila Growth and Manipulation Suite - with a significant capacity to handle large numbers of flies of multiple different genotypes. With dedicated growth rooms at 18 and 25oC, facilities for light manipulation, systems for detection of behavioural outputs, and microinjection capabilities, these facilities enable a wide breadth of Drosophila research.
• Plant Growth Facilities – A range of greenhouses and GM compliant plant growth rooms and cabinets offering flexible growth space for a range of plants under different environmental conditions
• Botanic Gardens – As well as housing important collections the gardens house dedicated research greenhouses that provide a range of growth temperatures and GM containment
• HOPE Cancer Clinical Trials Unit – A dedicated facility for Clinical Trials in cancer supported by funding from NIHR, CRUK and the Hope for Cancer charity.

Our researchers also have access to the University’s High Performance Computing Facility. They also benefit from the high quality research environment of the University of Leicester with centrally-managed Core Biotechnology Facilities spanning the diverse range of medical, biological, environmental, physical and sociological research areas led by dedicated support staff:

• NUCLEUS Genomics Core Facility - a state of the art facility for next generation sequencing, microarrays, high throughput quantitative PCR and systems quality control, plus bioinformatics support.
• Preclincial Research Facility (PRF) – offers state of the art facilities for in vivo research in a range of species and including preclinical imaging (MRI, CT, X-ray, fluorescence and ultrasound imaging), and transgenic/CRISP expertise supported by a microinjection suite
• Advanced Imaging Facility – offers a wide range of confocal and conventional fluorescence microscopes and image analysis resources
• Flow cytometry – with centralized cell sorters (BD FACSAria Fusion) and analysers (BD FACSCanto II, a Beckman Coulter Cytoflex and a BD Accuri C6 Plus).
• Electron Microscopy Facility – a dedicated staff provide a service for imaging by transmission and scanning electron microscopy
• PROTEX – provides a high throughput service for cloning and small-scale protein expression trials. The laboratory is designed to serve the needs of structural biology, enzymology and molecular & cell biology including genome editing across the College
• Category 3 Facility – comprising four individual laboratories equipped for working with Category 3 containment level microorganisms and an additional Containment Level 3 Facility for work with rodent models of infection
• Histology Facility – offers a comprehensive range of histological techniques with dedicated technical support
• Proteomics and metabolomics – providing state of the art access to mass spectrometry, LC-MS-MS, HPLC
• LISCB structural Biology Facility – offers access to state of the art NMR, X-ray crystallography and scanning electron microscopy.