The following Pediatric Research Alliance supported cores are designed specifically for child health researchers and are made readily available to pediatric researchers at a significantly reduced or fully subsidized cost offering access to instruments, technologies, services, and expert consultation to biomedical and behavioral investigators:
The Pediatric-Winship Flow Cytometry Core is located in 640 sq ft of dedicated space on the 3rd floor of the Health Sciences Research Building (E362) that is linked by a bridge to the Emory Children’s Center and in 200 sq ft in the Winship Cancer Institute (C5027). The core consists of two dedicated cell sorter rooms capable of BSL2(+) level sorting and wet lab space housing the analysis instruments. The laboratories have ample bench space for sample handling and small equipment. Scheduling of instruments, training, and billing are performed on PPMS, a campus-wide core management software package. The core has a full-time technical director providing education, analysis, and cell sorting services and another 2.5 FTE providing immunology core services, cell sorting, experimental design, and clinical specimen processing. Analysis can be performed on five analyzers: a BD FACSymphony A5 [6UV 7V 5B 6GY 3R] and an identically configured A3, two 4 laser Cytek Auoras [405nm, 488nm, 561nm, & 640nm], and a BC Cytoflex S [4V 2B 4YG 3R].
Cell sorting can be performed on a SORP FACSAria II cell sorter [3UV 5V 2B 5YG 3R] or a Sony SH800 (405nm, 488nm, 561nm and 640nm) with 6 fluorescent detectors. An Amnis ImageStreamX MkII cytometer also with 4 lasers (405nm, 488nm 561nm, & 642nm; 10 fluorescent channels) provides the capability for image cytometry. Analysis workstations are available for off line data analysis with multiple software packages including FACSDiva, FlowJo, FCSExpress, SpectroFlo, CytExpert and IDEAS. Cytometry informatics packages are available in R or MATLAB. Data storage is available through campus-wide cloud services and data backup on a separate NAS. Immunology services include equipment and technical expertise for the performance of immunologic and diagnostic assays for infectious pathogens, including a Luminex 100 multiplex bead array system for detection of cytokines or RNA.
- The Pediatric Animal Physiology Core is a centralized resource specializing in survival surgery for rats and mice in addition to USDA regulated animals such as rabbits, guinea pigs and piglets. Surgical services currently offered by the core include pulmonary banding in rat and neonatal rabbit, aortic banding, myocardial infarction, and intramyocardial injections (echo-guided or open chest). The core houses a Visualsonics Vevo 2100 High Frequency Ultrasound system that allows high resolution small animal ultrasound examinations towards characterizing cardiac function and liver and kidney blood flow.
- The Pediatric Biomarkers Core – provides the equipment and technical expertise to perform small-molecule metabolite profile identification including analysis of markers related to oxidative stress.
- Children’s Clinical and Translational Discovery Core – Offers laboratory and technical assistance for collecting, storage and analysis of biological samples including blood and biological fluids collected as part of a clinical study. These services are offered to investigators conducting basic science, epidemiologic, translational and clinical research related to improving child health.
- The Pediatric Biostatistical Core – Two PhD level and four master’s level biostatisticians provide quantitative statistical assistance to investigators for analytic help and statistical methodology for study design, grant proposal preparation and manuscript preparation; database design for data collection is also available. In addition, a Qualitative Research Core arm is available to provide assistance in the design, collection, and analysis of data collected through qualitative methodologies and approaches such as focus groups, interviews, and observations.
- The Pediatric General Equipment Core and Specimen Processing – common use equipment such as ultracentrifuges, RT-PCR, gel documentation systems, TopCount system, developer and specimen processing resources.
- The Pediatrics Grant Editing/Manuscript Support (GEMS) Core provides expertise to assist with final editing of extramural grant applications and/or manuscripts reporting data generated from our pediatric research programs. Emory faculty member, Becky Kinkead, PhD, and grant consultant Janet Gross, PhD, work one-on-one with fellows and junior faculty towards building a research track record and securing extramural funding.
- The Pediatric Heart Diseases Data Registry Core provides access to a rich registry of surgical, catheter-based and electrophysiologic studies and interventions for multiple pediatric heart diseases. This core provides consultation assistance and compile data for outcome studies related to pediatric heart diseases.
- Cardiovascular Imaging Research Core (CIRC) – provides non-invasive imaging services (including EKG, echocardiography, stress test, stress echocardiography and cardiac MRI) for cardiovascular research involving infants, children and adolescents. The CIRC has dedicated space, equipment and staff to provide quality cardiovascular imaging data that is collected in a systematic manner.
- Medical Imaging Resources – Both inpatient and research specific outpatient facilities exist to accommodate a variety of medical imaging needs including MRI, CT, PET, PET-CT, bone densitometry, fluoroscopy, nuclear medicine, interventional radiology, ultrasound, and X-ray. Pediatric sedation services are available, when needed.