Our experimental workflows integrate our dedicated departmental laboratory with the Central Research Excellence (CRE) facility (serving all research labs within the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology) and collaborative research project suites accessible to designated partner laboratories including FBMH:
Our departmental laboratory housing natural product extraction, kinetic spectrophotometry, lyophilization, analytical balances, and synchronized C. elegans bioassays.
High-throughput Real-Time Quantitative PCR (qPCR), gradient thermal cyclers, and automated nucleic acid systems accessible to participating project laboratories including our lab.
Comprehensive cold preservation chain spanning ultra-low −80°C biobanking, −40°C deep freezers, −20°C/−10°C freezers, and +4°C cold storage.
Centralized departmental facility serving all research laboratories within the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, housing multi-laser Flow Cytometry, fluorescence microscopy, and ChemiDoc imaging.
Photographic showcase of specialized equipment operating in our laboratory suites.
Low-temperature ice sublimation system for drying heat-sensitive botanical extracts, marine seaweed fractions, and purified bioactives into stable powder without thermal degradation.
Benchtop refrigerated centrifugation system (4°C) for cellular fractionation, protein precipitation, solvent clarification, and nucleic acid pelleting up to 15,000 RPM.
Precision temperature-controlled cooled incubator dedicated to maintaining synchronized Caenorhabditis elegans nematode cultures on NGM plates at constant 20°C.
Vertical laminar airflow workstation equipped with HEPA filtration and UV germicidal irradiation for sterile microbial culture and cell-free assay handling.
Dedicated molecular biology workspace equipped for genomic DNA/total RNA isolation, quantification, and contamination-free PCR reaction preparation.
High-resolution optical stereo microscope for observing C. elegans morphology, worm picking, egg synchronization, lifespan assays, and motility scoring.
Rapid mechanical disruption system for tough plant leaves, seeds, fruits, insect digestive tracts, and biological tissues for solvent extraction.
Microprocessor-controlled ceramic heating and magnetic stirring platform for chemical dissolution, buffer preparation, and temperature-monitored reagent synthesis.
Smooth see-saw rocking platform for gentle agitation during staining/destaining protocols, membrane washing, and continuous kinetic solvent mixing.
Temperature-regulated incubation bath for enzymatic hydrolysis, antioxidant kinetic reactions, and keeping melted NGM agar at constant 55°C.
Draft-shielded electromagnetic force balance providing 0.1 mg micro-precision measurement for weighing standard chemicals, isolated phytocompounds, and assay reagents.
Comprehensive directory of specialized laboratory equipment across cold-chain storage, molecular genomics, flow cytometry, electrophoresis, spectrophotometry, and bioimaging.
| Equipment / Machinery Name | Operating Temperature / Key Specs | Primary Research Function & Applications |
|---|---|---|
| −80°C Ultra-Low Temperature Freezer | −80°C Ultra-Low | Long-term cryogenic biobanking of delicate total RNA, active purified enzymes, cDNA libraries, and frozen bacterial glycerol stocks. |
| −40°C Deep Laboratory Freezer | −40°C Deep Cold | Intermediate deep freezing for crude botanical solvent fractions, marine algal extracts, enzyme substrates, and heat-labile bioactives. |
| −20°C & −10°C Laboratory Freezers | −20°C / −10°C | Working storage of PCR master mixes, oligonucleotides, antibodies, standard antioxidant chemicals, and assay reagents. |
| +4°C Cold Storage & Chromatography Refrigerators | +4°C Constant | Preservation of protein chromatography fractions, freshly poured NGM agar plates, biological buffers, and culture media. |
| Vacuum Freeze Dryer (Lyophilizer) | −50°C Condenser / Vacuum | Low-temperature sublimation drying of heat-sensitive botanical extracts and purified natural compounds into stable powders. |
| Equipment / Machinery Name | Key Specifications | Primary Research Function & Applications |
|---|---|---|
| Real-Time Quantitative PCR (qPCR / RT-qPCR) System | 96-Well / SYBR Green & TaqMan | High-precision relative and absolute gene expression quantification, stress pathway transcriptomics, and longevity biomarker scoring in C. elegans. |
| DNA Thermal Cycler (Gradient PCR) | Peltier Gradient Block | Programmable PCR amplification, primer annealing temperature gradient optimization, 16S rRNA bacterial metagenomics, and gene cloning. |
| PCR Clean Benches & Nucleic Acid Workstations | HEPA Airflow / UV Lamps | Dedicated contamination-free workstation for RNA/DNA preparation, qPCR reaction assembly, and sterile reagent aliquoting. |
| Automated Nucleic Acid Purification Instruments | Magnetic / Column Extraction | High-throughput isolation of high-integrity genomic DNA, total cellular RNA, and plasmid vectors from tough plant tissues and insect gut microbiomes. |
| Equipment / Machinery Name | Key Specifications | Primary Research Function & Applications |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-Laser Flow Cytometer (FACS / Cell Analyzer) | Multi-Laser Fluorescence | High-throughput single-cell analysis for apoptosis quantification, intracellular ROS detection, and cell-cycle/viability phenotyping. |
| Gel Image Capture & Documentation System (ChemiDoc / GelDoc) | CCD Darkroom / UV & Blue Transilluminator | High-resolution scientific imaging and densitometric software analysis of ethidium bromide/GelRed agarose gels and protein zymograms. |
| High-Speed Refrigerated Centrifuges | 15,000 RPM / 4°C Controlled | Rapid separation of cellular organelles, protein precipitates, solvent partitions, and nucleic acid pelleting under chilled conditions. |
| Equipment / Machinery Name | Key Specifications | Primary Research Function & Applications |
|---|---|---|
| Double-Beam UV-Vis Spectrophotometer | 190–1100 nm Optical Kinetics | Photometric quantitative assays: DPPH, FRAP, ABTS, Folin-Ciocalteu total phenolics, total flavonoids, and enzyme kinetic assays. |
| High-Performance Tissue Homogenizers | High-Shear Mechanical Disruption | Rapid pulverization of tough botanical seeds, leaves, fruits, and insect digestive tracts for solvent extraction and enzyme isolation. |
| Laboratory Vacuum Pumps & Rotary Evaporator Systems | Oil-Free Vacuum / Rotary Condenser | Concentration of crude plant/seaweed extracts under reduced pressure, solvent recovery, and vacuum filtration. |
| High-Pressure Steam Autoclave Sterilizers | 121°C / 15 psi Steam | Sterilization of microbiological culture media, NGM nematode agar plates, glassware, and biohazardous waste decontamination. |
| Precision Thermostatic Water Baths | Digital ±0.2°C Control | Enzyme-substrate kinetic reactions, antioxidant incubation assays, and maintaining molten agar at steady 55°C. |
| Digital Magnetic Hotplate Stirrers | Digital Heating & Magnetic RPM | Chemical dissolution, buffer preparation, and temperature-monitored reagent synthesis. |
| High-Precision Analytical Balances (0.1 mg) | 0.1 mg Resolution / Draft Shield | Micro-scale precision weighing of reference standards, isolated phytocompounds, and analytical reagents. |
| Equipment / Machinery Name | Key Specifications | Primary Research Function & Applications |
|---|---|---|
| Fluorescence Inverted Imaging Suite | GFP/RFP Optical Filters & CCD Camera | High-resolution in-vivo imaging of transgenic C. elegans reporter strains, oxidative stress marker localization, and neurodegenerative scoring. |
| Cooled Precision Incubator (20°C) | 20.0°C ± 0.1°C Stability | Synchronized cultivation and lifespan assay maintenance of wild-type (N2) and mutant Caenorhabditis elegans nematodes. |
| Dissecting Optical Stereo Microscopes | Dual Transmitted & Reflected Light | Nematode manipulation, platinum wire worm picking, egg synchronization, body size measurement, and motility scoring. |
| Class II Biosafety Laminar Flow Cabinets | Vertical HEPA / UV Sterilization | Aseptic microbial seeding of OP50 feeding lawns, bacterial isolation, and contamination-free culture handling. |
Our laboratory instrumentation operates as an integrated analytical pipeline connecting natural product extraction, biochemical screening, in-vivo model organism validation, and transcriptomic gene expression profiling.
