Shared Instrumentation Core
The Shared Instrumentation Core centralizes and standardizes support forseveral departmental resources.聽 This includes instrument booking, management of documentation, and coordination of equipment support via various vendors.
Location:聽The shared Boston College imaging facility has 712 sq. ft. of space within 525 Higgins Hall
Agilent 4150 TapeStation.聽The Agilent 4150 TapeStation system is an automated electrophoresis platform for nucleic acid sample quality control. In combination with DNA or RNA ScreenTape and reagents, the TapeStation machine can be used to determine nucleic acid size, concentration, and quality prior to next-generation sequencing or other sensitive applications. Run time ~<2 minutes per sample, low sample volume required. Users are responsible for all consumables (High Sensitivity D1000 ScreenTape and loading tips (Agilent NC1822523)). Location: Higgins Hall 565.
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Agilent 6230. The Agilent 6230 is an Accurate-Mass Time-of-Flight (TOF) LC/MS system, a high-performance mass spectrometer used for confident compound identification by providing precise mass measurements, high resolution, and full-spectrum data for both small molecules and large biomolecules like proteins. Location: Merkert Chemistry Center 101
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Bruker MicroCT. The uCT can take high resolution scans of small samples, rendering a 3D image based on relative density of the sample. It can accommodate small samples that fit in a microcentrifuge tube or larger samples up to ~10 cm. Shields are available for resolving very high density samples. Location: Higgins Hall 360
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Cytiva 脛KTA go. The Cytiva 脛KTA go is a compact fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC) system designed for straightforward purification of biomolecules. The instrument supports affinity, ion-exchange, desalting, and size-exclusion chromatography, enabling reliable separation and purification of recombinant proteins and other biological samples. Its intuitive UNICORN software and robust performance make it suitable for routine purification workflows in research laboratories. Location: Merkert Chemistry Center 245
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Illumina MiSeq. The Illumina MiSeq is an older, benchtop next-generation sequencing model designed for lower-throughput, fast turnaround DNA sequencing on single-lane flow cells. Supports single or paired-end runs, applications may include small projects like targeted gene sequencing, amplicons, or metagenomics. Optimized for projects requiring 1鈥�16 million reads per run, with the NanoRun offering a low cost (less than $350) QC-level run for larger projects. Run times ~1-3 days. Location: Higgins Hall 565.
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JASCO J-1100. The Jasco J-1100 is a high-performance circular dichroism (CD) spectropolarimeter designed for rapid and accurate analysis of protein secondary structure. The instrument enables measurements of far-UV and near-UV CD spectra, thermal melts, and wavelength scans, providing insight into protein folding, stability, and conformational changes. The J-1100 offers straightforward operation with high sensitivity, making it suitable for routine characterization of biomolecules. Location: Merkert Chemistry Center 218
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LI-COR Odyssey. The LI-COR Odyssey M Imaging System Model 3350 is a high-performance near-infrared imaging instrument designed for quantitative Western blot analysis and other molecular imaging applications. It provides sensitive, multiplexed detection with a user-friendly interface and integrated software for data acquisition and analysis. Location: Higgins Hall 452
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MPMS-3. This is a high sensitivity magnetometer produced by Quantum Design. It can measure magnetization in DC, VSM, and AC modes. The machine has a temperature range of 1.8-400 K and maximum magnetic field of 7 T. Location: Higgins Hall 110
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Perkin Elmer Tricarb 4910TR. The Perkin Elmer Tricarb 4910TR liquid scintillation counter is used to measure low-level ionizing radiation, particularly beta-radiation, produced by the common radiolabeled isotopes used in a number of different biological and chemical assays. Location: Higgins Hall 483
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QuantStudio 7 (Higgins and Merkert). The QuantStudio 7 is a high-performance, flexible real-time PCR (qPCR) system from Applied Biosystems, designed for various genetic applications with interchangeable blocks (96/384-well) for scalable throughput. Location: Higgins Hall 565
lllumina NextSeq2000. The Illumina NextSeq2000 is a highly flexible and scalable sequencing system that enables a wide range of sequencing outputs. Four types of flow cell options, the P1, P2, P3, and P4, are available with a range of outputs. At 100 million reads per run, the P1 flow cell is an attractive option for viral and pathogen sequencing and 鈥渟maller鈥� batch RNA-seq. The P4 is a high-output flow cell that generates up to 1.8 billion reads per run. Five run cycle kit configurations are available: 100-, 200-, 300-, 600- and the 50-cycle kit, which is available in the P4 only. The 50-cycle kit targets infectious disease, small RNA, and spatial transcriptomics applications. Run time ~8-44 hrs, depending on cartridge size. Location: Higgins Hall 565
Facility Documentation
Please note that all work performed in 成人快手core facilities and recharge centers should always be appropriately acknowledged.聽 If you are publishing or presenting data acquired in 成人快手core facilities and recharge centers, please include the following statement in the Acknowledgement section of your manuscript/poster/presentation, "The authors would like to thank the Boston College <insert facility name> for assistance with the work presented in this paper/poster/presentation*."
* Delete as appropriate
Bret Judson
Director, Microscopy and Shared Instrumentation Core
My interests lie in the field of cell biology with particular emphasis on using microscopy-based approaches to solve questions. I have been broadly trained in various light- and electron-based microscopy techniques; this includes attendance at the Quantitative and Fluorescence Microscopy course at the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory, and the Analytical and Quantitative Light Microscopy course at Woods Hole.聽
For my graduate thesis work, I used a combination of light and electron microscopy (both SEM and TEM) to solve ultrastructural details in the coralline red alga Jania adhaerens.聽
Prior to coming to Boston College I managed three different imaging facilities, two at Cornell University (light and electron microscopy) and one at Arizona State University (light microscopy). In addition I taught a graduate level microscopy course while at Arizona State University.Currently, at Boston College, I manage the imaging facility within the department of biology. The facility serves the entire Boston College community. In addition to managing the imaging facility I also teach the Advanced Lab in Cell Imaging course in both the Fall and Spring semesters. This course is for advanced undergraduates and graduate students. The course is a mixture of traditional lectures and hands on laboratory exercises. The culmination of the course is a student-selected project and presentation covering some of the instrumentation that we have discussed in class.
Microscopy and Shared Instrumentation Core
Bret Judson
Director, Microscopy and Shared Instrumentation Core
Office: 617-552-4643
Cell: 607-220-3017
bret.judson@bc.edu