BU has many facilities on the Medical Campus and Charles River Campus that provide services, expertise, and instruments for high-quality research. Some labs are specific to their supporting groups; most are available on a fee-for-service basis to researchers both inside and outside the University.
CRC Campus Cores
Animal Science Center CRC Facility
The Animal Science Center CRC Facility oversees veterinary medical care, animal care services, and actively participates in all facility design.
The Analytical Core is a cost recovery service center situated within the Boston University Center for Molecular Discovery (BU-CMD). The BU-CMD Analytical Core offers a variety of instrumentation and services which enable the chemical synthesis, analysis, purification, and distribution of biologically active small molecules for research.
The DAMP Lab designs, builds, and tests novel biological systems in a fast, standard, cost effective, and reproducible manner. We do this by using a globally-integrated infrastructure of standard protocols and experimental practices. We employ a ‘bio-foundry’ philosophy where automated services are available to remote users and then scheduled and managed using computational methods and a mix of automated hardware and expert technicians. The available molecular biology protocols include DNA assembly, purification, sequencing, repository, PCR, cell transformation, and readout characterization assays.
The Fraunhofer Center for Manufacturing Innovation (CMI) conducts applied research and development leading to the deployment of technological solutions that enhance the productivity and competitive position of our customers, while educating engineering students in the process.
The Micro-CT Imaging Facility uses experimental and computational methods to explore the relationships between the structure and mechanical function of skeletal tissues at multiple length scales.
The mission of the BU Neurophotonics Center is to build and support an interdisciplinary community that can develop and broadly deploy impactful photonics technologies in the neurosciences to advance our understanding of how the brain works in health and in disease.
The Boston University Photonics Center’s multi-user facilities are open to the entire university and outside users who engage in Shared Laboratory Usage Agreements. The facilities include semiconductor fabrication, testing and measurement, spectroscopy, electron, and atomic force microscopy equipment for varied disciplines in materials science, engineering, life sciences, and medical applications.
The Proteomics & Imaging Core Facility (PICF) is a multi-user core facility that is part of the Biology Department, but serves the entire University’s genomics, proteomics, and imaging needs.
The Software & Application Innovation Lab (SAIL) at the Hariri Institute for Computing is a professional research, software engineering, and consulting lab that acts as both a driver and a collaborative partner for computational and data-oriented research efforts across Boston University.
Biospecimen Archive Research Core is an IRB-approved, fee-for-service archive of biospecimens obtained from Boston Medical Center patients who have given informed consent for experimentation on any extraneous normal or abnormal specimens removed during medical procedures at the hospital.
Biostatistics and Epidemiology Data Analytics Center
The Biostatistics and Epidemiology Data Analytics Center has been a data management resource center since 1984. The BEDAC assists with questionnaire and data collection form design; implementation of study protocols; data management; data entry; and statistical, database, and web-based programming.
Boston Nutrition and Obesity Research Center Administrative Core
The Core also provides administrative support and direction to all of the BNORC participating institutions and Center members. These services include financial management, payment requests, policy development and data management.
Center for Clinical Translational Epidemiology and Comparative Effectiveness Research
The Center for Clinical Translational Epidemiology and Comparative Effectiveness Research provides data infrastructure, methodological expertise and statistical support to clinicians and researchers committed to translating discoveries in basic science research and preclinical studies to trials and studies in humans (translational epidemiology) and comparative effectiveness research, to identify clinical and public health interventions that work best for improving health.
Cellular Imaging Core
The Cellular Imaging Core (CIC) is an optical microscopy core facility with a range of digital imaging microscopy systems for studying cells and tissues.
Clinical Data Warehouse for Research
The Clinical Data Warehouse brings together BMC data into a single data warehouse. Investigators with IRB and HIPPA approval can cross-reference data, get patient counts, and search text files.
Collaborative Research Laboratory
The Collaborative Research Laboratory is an innovative pathology research laboratory that brings the best of the clinical and academic worlds together.
Boston Medical Center, the primary teaching affiliate of the Boston University School of Medicine, has built a team of highly skilled professionals to service the goals of the research community. Learn more about the services we can provide for your studies.
Confocal Microscope Facility
The Confocal Microscope Facility provides confocal microscopy services for imaging cells and tissue, as well as assistance with project/experiment planning and analysis.
Developer Core
The Department of Microbiology’s Developer Core offers BU investigators the use of a Konica-Minolta SRX-101A developer for film development for radioactivity or chemiluminescence-based protein detection.
FHS Service Center
The Framingham Heart Study, under the direction of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), formerly known as the National Heart Institute, has been committed to identifying the common factors or characteristics that contribute to cardiovascular disease (CVD). We have followed CVD development over a long period of time in three generations of participants. The FHS Service Center assists in this contribution.
Flow Cytometry Core Facility
The Flow Cytometry Core Facility provides flow cytometry services for analysis and sorting of cells as well as expert consultation for project/experiment planning.
Good Manufacturing Practice Core Facility
The Good Manufacturing Practice Core is a qualified facility for developing and processing clinical-grade stem cells from adult tissues for use in clinical trials and potential therapeutic applications.
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Core Facility
The Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Core aims to expedite the use of iPSC technology. The core generates and characterizes iPSC lines from adult tissue samples, serves as a repository to conduct basic and translational research, and provides expertise on work involving human iPSCs.
Infrared Imaging Core
The Infrared Imaging Core was formed to give investigators access to the LiCor Odyssey CLx, an infrared imaging system for quantitative Western Blot analysis.
Integrated Biomedical Imaging Suite
The Integrated Biomedical Imaging Suite at the Boston University Medical campus offers comprehensive, cutting-edge technology and support for a wide range of digital imaging microscopy applications.
IVIS Imaging Core
The primary use of the IVIS Imaging Core instrumentation is to non-invasively monitor bio-luminescence and fluorescence in three dimensions within small animal models.
Metabolic Phenotyping Core
Metabolic Phenotyping Core (MPC) provides experimental testing services to researchers (inside and outside Boston University) studying metabolic diseases in mouse models.
The Molecular Genetics Core provides DNA isolation services from different sources, sample storage, whole genome amplification, and high throughput genotyping.
Mouse Assisted Reproductive Technology
The Mouse Assisted Reproductive Technology oversees the breeding of complex genetically modified mice as well as collecting mouse sperm, harvesting unfertilized eggs, conducting in-vitro fertilization and embryo transplantation.
MRI Scanning Cores
Boston University School of Medicine has three Magnetic Resonance Imaging Scanners dedicated for research use available to meet the needs of researchers throughout the Greater Boston Area.
This core facility provides advanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging capabilities for researchers working with mice or tissue samples on the Medical Campus and beyond.
NEIDL Comparative Pathology Lab
The addition of a Vectra Polaris Quantitative Pathology Imaging System to the BU research community includes:
Enhanced utilization of biological specimens derived from research projects by affording the capacity of high throughput whole slide image acquisition of both brightfield and high-plex fluorescent images-up to six colors plus DAPI using the rapid acquisition MoTIF workflow.
Increased analytical sensitivity/enhanced signal to noise ratios through multispectral unmixing of acquired images including removal of autofluorescence signals.
Enhanced precision and objective analysis through quantitative characterization of morphomolecular signatures with spatial context afforded through an integrated image acquisition and advanced image analysis pipeline.
Generation of continuous pathomics datasets affording correlations with other relevant biological datasets (i.e., clinicopathologic, transcriptomics, etc.) enabling for more rigorous and integrated research approaches to further elucidate clinicopathologic correlates of disease.
Pathology EX + Service Center offers a fee-for-service Boston University Core. Laboratory techniques and services that are offered.
Proteomics Consultation Service
Proteomics Consultation Service provides consult on all proteomics and mass spectrometry applications and will assist in experimental design, sample fractionation and preparation, sample submission, and data analysis.
Single Cell Sequencing Core
The Single Cell Sequencing Core provides in-house services for single cell RNA sequencing to all researchers at Boston University and to external researchers on an available-resource basis. As a high-throughput core, we provide an array of services to get you from sample to high-quality single cell gene expression data and analysis.
Small Animals Histology Center
The BU Small Animals Histology Center offers quality sectioning and staining. We are here to provide all BU labs with the histology services they seek.
Transmission Electron Microscope
As part of the Integrated Biomedical Imaging Suite (IBIS), the Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) system at the Boston University Medical Campus provides services for transmission electron microscopy imaging, as well as services for sample preparation and assistance with projects, experiment planning and analysis.