Research / Core Facilities

College of Medicine Research Core Facilities

The UC College of Medicine houses a number of research core facilities designated as core service centers. These facilities exist within multiple departments but are collectively supported by the College of Medicine Office of Research through the Associate Dean for Research Core Facilities: Ken Greis, PhD. (ken.greis@uc.edu; Tel: 513-558-7012).

The service center designation signifies the rates charged by each of these facilities have been reviewed and approved by the UC Government Cost Compliance Office; thus, the service fees can be cross-charged to federal grants and contracts. Details related to the services offered and the internal rates for each of the cores are provided below. Since these rates are substantially subsidized by the University, external investigators should contact individual core directors to get a rate quote.

Resources to offset some of the cost of the core services may be available through a variety of centers and institutes across UC depending on an investigator’s affiliation. Information related to some of those opportunities and the website links are provided below:

We have recently transitioned our core facilities booking and management to the PPMS system from Stratocore. To book and access services from the core facilities, please log in or create an account in Stratocore via:

My PPMS Dashboard

Stratocore Account Creation Guides:

New UC PI Account Creation
New UC User Account Creation
New External User Account Creation

Center for Advanced Structural Biology (CASB)

To access services from the CASB, please login or create an account in Stratocore at https://ppms.us/uc/start/

Overview:
Established in July 2022, the UC Center for Advanced Structural Biology (CASB) is integrating the latest technology in single-particle cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM).  This technology has revolutionized structural biology, emerging as the leading method in macromolecular structure determination to visualize large protein assemblies of unprecedented size and complexity, many of which are intractable by conventional NMR and X-ray crystallography methods.  Through the support of institutional Research2030 funds, the first phase of equipment, a Thermo Talos L120C Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) that can be operated at both ambient and cryogenic temperatures and is ideally suited for imaging negatively stained samples and screening cryo-EM samples, became avaiable in July 2022 allowing with the TFS Mark IV Vitrobot system for sample preparation.  Details of both systems are provided in the equipment section. 
 
For Phase 2, the CASB applied for and was awarded a Shared Instrumentation Grant (S10OD030388) from the high-end instrumentation (HEI) program from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).  The S10 funding along with additional matching institutional funds ($3.7M total) led to the purchase of a Thermo Glacios 200 kV cryogenic TEM equipped with both a Ceta-16M camera and a TFS Falcon 4 direct electron detector, in addition to a Selectris Energy Filter. This system was installed in the Fall of 2023 as is able to generate images for atomic resolution structures for SPA projects. The Glacios will also come equipped with software for micro-Electron Diffraction data set collection. This system has been delievered and will begin installation in August 2023 which is expected to take 6-8 weeks to complete.  
 
Services Available:

  • Training and access to the Mark IV Vitrobot plunge freezer
  • Training and access to the Talos L120C TEM system
  • Training and access to the Glacios 200 kV cryogenic TEM system
  • Assisted TEM analysis by CASB personnel (inquiry required)
Location & Hours:
The CASB is located on the ground level of the Medical Sciences building in rooms G056-G060.  The Facility Manager is available Monday - Friday, 9:00am - 5:00pm or by appointment.

Cryo-EM in the news:
UC commits to investment in Cryo-EM technology. June 30, 2022
 
UC Scientists are excited to deep-freeze molecules. July 18, 2022
 
UC hosts world renowned structural biologists for Grand Opening Cryo-EM symposium.  September 7, 2023
 
UC College of Medicine opens the Center for Advanced Structural Biology featuring Cryo-EM. September 18, 2023
 

Acknowledgement

For manuscripts, please include the following statements or consult with the facility manager regarding authorship:

  • Cryogenic TEM data were collected in the UC Center for Advanced Structural Biology (CASB) under the direction of Desirée Benefield, PhD, on instrumentation supported by UC Reseach2030, JobsOhio and an NIH High End Instrumentation grant (S10OD030388).

Grant Information

Specific methodology and instrumentation description and facilities information for your grant submission is best supplied via a consultation with the facility manager to ensure proper alignment of the core information within your grant needs. 

Collapse All Expand All
ServiceCost
Talos L120C TEM system (unassisted) per hour
$40
Talos L120C TEM system (assisted) per hour
$110
Glacios 200 kV TEM system (unassisted) per hour
 $70
Glacios 200 kV TEM system (Assisted) per hour
 $140
Vitrobot sample preparation (unassisted) per hour
 $25
Vitrobot sample preparation (assisted) per hour
 $95
Negative Stain Bench (unassisted) per hour
$20
Negative Stain Bench (assisted) per hour
$90
Personnel Time per hour
 $70
External rates vary so please inquire with the Facilities Manager.
 TBD
Talos L120C TEM system

The Talos transmission electron microscopy offer the ability to screen samples with high contrast and high sensitivity. Specifications include: 0.204nm Line resolution and <0.37nm point resolution. This system is housed in MSB G056 and will be used for negative stain imaging and for cryo-EM sample screening.

The Talos is equipped with a Gatan Elsa (698) side-entry cryo-holder for imaging cryo-EM samples.

Mark IV Vitrobot

This system allows for reproducible vitrification of biological sample for cryo-EM analysis. Vitrification results from a rapid-freezing method that forms transparent, amorphous ice without damaging the biological samples. The Vitrobot interface offers control over temperature, humidity and other grid blotting settings allowing for reproducible sample freezing conditiions.

Glacios 200 kV cyogenic TEM

Glacios 200 kV cryogenic TEM equipped with both a Ceta-16M camera and a TFS Falcon 4 direct electron detector, in addition to a Selectris Energy Filter. This system will have the potential for solving atomic resolution structures for SPA projects.

ThermoFisher

Sharma, M; Sheth, M; Poling, HM; Kuhnell, D; Langevin, SM; Esfandiari, L. Rapid purification and multiparametric characterization of circulating small extracellular vesicles utilizing a label-free lab-on-a-chip device. (2023) SCIENTIFIC REPORTS. 13(1):18293 PMC10600140

Chutipongtanate S, Cetinkaya H, Zhang X, Kuhnell D, Benefield D, Haffey W, Wyder M, Patel R, Conrey SC, Burrell AR, Langevin S, Nommsen-Rivers L, Newburg DS, Greis KD, Staat MA, Morrow AL. Prenatal SARS-CoV-2 infection alters postpartum human milk-derived extracellular vesicles. (2023) bioRxiv. PMC10312504

Chimote, AA; Lehn, MA; Bhati, J; Mascia, AE; Sertorio, M; Lamba, MA; Ionascu, D; Tang, AL; Langevin, SM; Khodoun, MV; Wise-Draper, TM; Conforti, L. Proton Treatment Suppresses Exosome Production in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma. (2024). CANCERS(Basal) 16(5):1008 PMC10931005

Location

Medical Sciences Building
231 Albert Sabin Way, Room G056-060
Cincinnati
45267

Hours

Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 5:00pm, or by Appointment

Contact Information

Intranet Login

Contact Us

University of Cincinnati
College of Medicine

CARE/Crawley Building
Suite E-870
3230 Eden Avenue
PO Box 670555
Cincinnati, OH 45267-0555

Mail Location: 0555
Phone: 513-558-7333
Fax: 513-558-3512
Email: College of Medicine