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Director: Jerry Reeves, Ph.D. Coordinator: David de Avila at 509-335-8158 or deavila@wsu.edu
The Assay Core laboratory has two primary functions, (1) To serve the members of the Center for Reproductive Biology in completing assays of hormones involved in their research projects in a scientifically quality controlled and economically feasible manner; (2) Train students on how to conduct their own assays and to interpret and troubleshoot problems associated with not only radioimmunoassays, but also receptor and bioassays of hormones. 1. Facilities: The hormone assay core is located in the new Animal Science Annex, with approximately 1,000 square feet for the radioimmunoassay lab; 100 square feet for iodination lab; and 120 square feet for counting room. There is a 100 ft2 walk in freezer for storage of samples. Which is adjacent to a 100 ft2 walk in cold room for handling assays that must be incubated or conducted in cold room.
Equipment Available: 2RCB centrifuges; 1 isolated gamma counter - counts 20 tubes simultaneously/minute; HPLC for iodination of small peptides; automatic pipetting stations. Liquid scintillation counter for tritiated hormone assays. 2. Services: This lab has been conducting radioimmunoassays (RIA's) for the last 25 years and presently assays 12 reproductive or metabolic hormones rather routinely. This lab presently has a service component and conducts RIA's for various labs around the world. It has provided two different LH first antibodies for other labs throughout the world for the last 25 years. We have considerable amount of expertise in developing first and second antibodies for various assays. We do our own iodinating of protein hormones and have all the equipment that is necessary for counting and conducting these assays. Each assay is conducted with standards for quantitation of hormone and in-house pool standards which we use for quality control.
Director: Rolf Ingermann, Ph.D. 1. Objectives: The Toxicology Core Laboratory (TCL) of the Center for Reproductive Biology is closely associated with and has access to the facilities and personnel of the Analytical Sciences Laboratory (ASL) of the University of Idaho. The ASL is a full-service analytical chemistry facility which serves the universities, states and federal agencies of the inland Pacific Northwest. The laboratory is a full Good Laboratory Practices facility and analyzes about 40,000 samples per year using 200 different analytical tests. Service activities include a state-of-the-art analytical chemistry laboratory that provides regulatory grade analysis of water, soil, plant, veterinary and environmental samples in support of region-wide programs in food safety, water quality, agricultural research and extension, and veterinary toxicology. The laboratory is also a USDA/EPA, IR-4 Program Satellite Laboratory which provides laboratory support for the re-registration of minor use pesticides and is the regional data management center for the USDA Northwest Tri-State Pesticide Program. The laboratory has a highly trained, full time Quality Assurance Unit who are members of the Society of Quality Assurance. Facilities are expanded by cooperation and interaction with the Idaho Department of Agricultural Quality Assurance Laboratory, Washington State University Food and Environmental Quality Laboratory, Washington State University Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory and Oregon State University Environmental Health Sciences Center. 2. Staffing: The University of Idaho faculty associated with the ASL are Drs. Jerry Exon, Director, Greg Möller, Technical Director, Chief Chemist. The ASL employs about 40 laboratory staff and student interns involved in scientific laboratory analysis. A TCL technician, supported by the Center for Reproductive Biology (CRB), will be responsible for conducting analyses for members of the CRB. Rolf Ingermann, Associate Professor of Zoology and member of the CRB, will act as liaison among the TLC, ASL and CRB. 3. Resources and Environment: a. Space: The ASL is located in approximately 10,000 square feet of the Holm Research Center on the University of Idaho campus. There are separate organic and inorganic laboratories within the building. Sample receiving and storage areas are separate and secure. Wet chemistry operations are separated from instrumental analysis areas. Glassware preparation is performed in a separate part of the building as are aquatic toxicology tests and assays. Proper preventative maintenance begins with the environment in which the instrument is placed and used. The ASL installed new heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems separate in 1998. ASL is a secure, limited access facility. b. Equipment: The TCL has access to a computerized Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) which not only links the entire laboratory but also affords TLC with the ability to link test results directly to researchers. TCL instrumentation represents the finest available for analytical laboratories. 4. Administration: Use of TCL will be coordinated by Dr. Ingermann. Researchers will first contact him to introduce new projects and set specific analytical goals. Priority for completion is usually given on a first-come, first serve basis. The TCL technician associated with the CRB will keep logbooks and laboratory notebooks that will serve as the official administrative and procedural record for the services performed by the TCL for the members of the CRB. 5. Justification: A central analytical core provides the expertise and guidance, and the technical capability, to solve the various analyzes required by the researchers of the CRB. It would be prohibitively expensive for each principle investigator to hire a trained technician and purchase the state-of-the-art equipment currently available through the ASL. Cooperation with the ASL is therefore vitally important where CRB shares a half-time technician to help maximize the ability of the TCL to service the investigators of the CRB. Cost to individual PI's will be relatively low as cost will be computed on a fee per sample basis instead of a fee for service basis as the technician's time is not included. This will also assure standardization of quality and reproducibility. 6. Schedule of Fees: TCL charges will be by a fee-per-specimen basis instead of a fee-per-service basis since the technician's time is not included. This fee structure will apply to the Center principle investigators, their laboratory personnel, and their students. There will be considerable savings to each individual investigator in the Center of Reproductive Biology; costs are half of the posted price schedule. Examples of costs to CRB members are as follows:
A more comprehensive list of services and charges is available. Further, staff members of the ASL will work with researchers for custom analyses.
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