The primary performance site for this project will be the University of Florida (UF) Institute on Aging (IOA). The IOA is part of the UF Health Science Center (HSC), a comprehensive academic health center encompassing six colleges (Medicine, Dentistry, Public Health and Health Professions, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Veterinary Medicine). The IOA exists to improve the health, independence, and quality of life of older adults by means of interdisciplinary teams in the areas of research, education, and health care. The overarching goals of the IOA are to develop interdisciplinary and dynamic research that spans public health, social, health services, behavioral, clinical, and basic sciences. The research focuses on mechanisms, etiology, and prevention of cognitive and physical disability. The IOA also focuses on maximizing the participation and life potential of older adults with disabilities and the prevention of secondary disabilities. The research program of the IOA is supported by the NIH-funded OAIC which focuses on the etiology and prevention of cognitive and physical disability. This focus is being pursued using an interdisciplinary approach that traverses the entire spectrum of social and biomedical investigation, including molecular biology, in vitro and animal studies, clinical research, behavioral and social sciences, epidemiology, and health services research.
The hospitals and clinics including Shands Hospital at UF, the state’s flagship teaching hospital, and the neighboring Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) of Gainesville are also located on the HSC campus. These entities provide a rich scientific environment with extensive opportunities for troubleshooting issues as they arise.
LABORATORY: The Biochemistry of Aging and Metabolism and Translational Science Core Laboratory occupies approximately 1,500 sq. ft. of laboratory space. The Core supports biological analyses for a variety of clinical and pre-clinical projects related to the field of aging. The core includes a lab manager as well as several full-time technical staff capable of performing a variety of biologic techniques including western blotting, real-time PCR, immunosorbent assays, and a variety of procedures related to inflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial function, and apoptosis. Both facilities are under the direction of Dr. Leeuwenburgh and are located in the Medical Science Building.
COMPUTER: Dr. Leeuwenburgh’s office and laboratories are equipped with 15 Dell computers, printers, and connections to the department and campus-wide networks are provided.
OFFICE: The University of Florida provides office spaces for Dr. Leeuwenburgh in the Clinical Translational Research Building. There is also office space for graduate students, post-doctoral students, junior faculty, and technical support staff in the Medical Science Building.
OTHER: The College has excellent computer and maintenance support. We have a full-time Division-Lab Manager, Lab Technician, and Research Scientists to support the project.
MAJOR EQUIPMENT: Protein Simple Jess System for capillary Western immunoassays; Millipore MILLIPLEX® Analyzer 3.1 xPONENT System (multiplex assays); microplate readers (Molecular Devices Spectramax 340 plate reader; high-performance top and bottom reader Synergy™ HTX Multi-Mode Microplate Reader from Bio-Tek for absorbance measurements); Thermo Scientific™ NanoDrop™ One Microvolume UV-Vis Spectrophotometer; BioTek Instruments ELx405™ HT Microplate Washer – for 96-well; (accomodates biomagnetic seperation and vacuum filtration protocols along with conventional ELISAs); a microplate incubator; a TD-20/20 luminometer for ATP analysis; tissue homogenizing equipment; sonicator system; polytron system; electrophoresis equipment and film developer (Kodak); Bio-Rad Laboratories C1000 Touch™ Thermal Cycler with Dual 48/48 Fast Reaction Module; Bio-Rad Laboratories CFX96 Touch™ Real-Time PCR Detection System; 2 Bio-Rad Chemi Doc XRS+ high-resolution gel/blot imaging system; five respirometer systems: the Intech’s SYS203 oxygen sensor and 4 high resolution Oxygraph-2k (Oroboros) for tissue, cell and mitochondrial oxygen consumption measurments; Agilent Seahorse XFe396 Analyzer for measuring oxygen rate and proton efflux rate of live cells in 96-well format; BioTek Cytation 1 cell imaging multi-mode reader; a Beckman ultra-centrifuge; 3 Eppendorf high-speed refrigerated table top centrifuges and 3 microcentrifuges; 2 ultra-low freezers (-80oC); 3 standard freezers (-20oC); 4 refrigerators (0-5oC); 2 liquid nitrogen (-180oC) storage units; Class 2A Biological Safety Cabinet; CO2 Incubator (37oC); several incubators/shakers; several digital balances; an ice machine; a lyophilizer; a benchtop incubator; 3 water baths; water bath shaker; a drying oven; 3 analytical balances; 4 rockers/rotators; 3 pH meters; 2 water purification systems; a nitric oxide detection system.