Click on the Name of Any Core Laboratory for More Information on that Core.   Administrative Core: Directed by Michael K. Skinner, this core integrates the projects by organizing the routine seminars and workshops, as well as the annual retreat. The Administrative Core will oversee all fiscal management of the program and facilitate university and agency interactions. This core provides some general administrative services, in particular the interactions both in regards to budgets and services of the other cores.   Histology Core: Directed by Kwan Hee Kim, this core provides services to obtain histological sections and related methods to the investicators in the center. The core also provides training and individualized procedure development for tissue preparation, immunohistochemistry, and in situ hybridization. The digital image analysis facility is available to all investigators.      Assay Core: Directed by Derek McLean. The core is an assay core to analyze hormone (i.e. steroid and gonadotropin) levels in the animals exposed to endocrine disruptors. Radioimmunoassays are routinely done for steroids and the reagents are available for gonadotropins of several of the species of interest. The service provided are to perform the assays on samples provided by the investigators. Toxicology Core: Directed by Rolf Ingermann. This core is the assay of toxins and metabolites in tissues and biological fluids. The objective is to allow investigators to analyze toxin levels and metabolites in animals exposed to endocrine disruptors. A regional toxicology laboratory a the University of Idaho is available that performs all the needed gas chromatography and assays. The core laboratory coordinates the use of this regional toxicology laboratory so that this service is available to all the investigators.      Aquaculture Core: Directed by Gary Thorgaard and Ken Cain, the aquaculture core has been established to insure proper and consistent handling and rearing of the animals among the projects. The aquaculture core will be composed of two parts. One component of the core will be housed at Washington State University. This facility will be composed of a number of recirculating systems and will be used to support small-scale laboratory experiments. The oversight for this part of the aquaculture core will be provided by Gary Thorgaard. The second component will be at the University of Idaho aquaculture. The University of Idaho core facility will be used to support broodstock rearing and the more long-term, applied experiments. The oversight for this part of the core will be provided by Ken Cain, director of the facility.     Transgenic Core: Directed by Michael Skinner, the Transgenic Core aids in providing, maintaining, and identifying transgenic and knockout mice at a subsidized cost to investigators within the Center for Reproductive Biology. Therefore, the objectives of the center are: 1) Facilitate acquisition of transgenic and knockout animals from outside vendors at reduced costs; 2) Provide training to Genotype transgenic or knockout mice; 3) Provide expertise to maintain and establish initial transgenic or knockout founders for colonies; 4) Provide initial space for transgenic and knockout colonies.        Molecular Biology Core: Co-Directed by Michael Griswold and Derek Pouchnik, this Core provides DNA sequencing, protein sequencing, oligonucleotide synthesis, peptide synthesis, and some information services to member of the Center for Reproductive Biology. A state of the art core laboratory with all the required equipment is available.     Animal Reproduction Core: Directed by Derek McLean. The Animal Reproduction Core provides centralized facilities, services and expertise on handling and housing laboratory and domestic animals used by members of the Center for Reproductive Biology in accomplishing their research objectives. Services such as animal handling, surgical technique, cannulation, blood collection, tissue collection at either the university's abattoir or commercial packing plants will be aided by this core. Technical advice on animal care and scientific design and coordination of services will be provided by the Core Director and a core technician associated with the Director's laboratory. The facilities, equipment, and animals of this core are incorporated into the Department of Animal Sciences animal facilities to capitalize on the expertise and efficiency of this already established unit.    Genomics Core: Co-Directed by Michael Griswold and Derek Pouchnik, the Genomics Core provides state of the art genomics micro-array technology equipment. The core laboratory provides access to the both an Affimetrix Micro-Array apparatus and data analysis system, as well as a custom array apparatus for glass slide array of investigator initiated arrays. The Core has the bio-informatics support for the procedures performed and assists the investigators in data analysis. Technical support is provided to perform the analysis on the Affimetrix chips and in the production of the custom arrays.    Proteomics Core: Directed by James E Bruce, the Proteomics Core provides sstate-of-the art proteomics research on campus and enable much greater insight in many biological research programs at WSU. The objectives of this core are to provide access to technology and expertise capable of measuring relative quantitation of proteins from complex mixtures such as cell lysates, as well as facilitate the identification for those proteins found to be up- or down-regulated in response to particular stimulus, disease or treatment of interest. These capabilities will significantly extend the understanding of many research programs by providing systems-level comprehension for cases where little or nothing is known about the underlying biology for a physical process, as well as provide a much broader view of functional significance for specific genes currently known to be involved in pathways that may represent only a small subset of actual functionality. In addition, this core lab will serve as a resource for consultation, education and training in current proteomics technology, help further accelerate biological research programs at WSU, and better educate WSU graduates for success in the increasingly competitive biotechnology sector.    Bioinformatics Core: Directed by Michael Skinner provides computational expertise for genomic and proteomic research studies. Staff can provide investigators with recommendations for hardware and software necessary to perform data analysis, storage, and management. The Bioinformatics core provides investigators with centralized DNA/Protein, microarray, proteomics data analysis services. The core consists of secure high performance computers/servers and storage devices linked to the genomics, proteomics and image analysis core. The data generated by these core facilities is seamlessly integrated for analysis by most commonly used analysis packages. The individual users can also link to central servers to access their data for analysis. WSU Bioinformatics core operates within an academic 'hybrid zone' involving Life, Computer Sciences and Engineering. Bioinformatics core services will be accessed through the The WSU-bioinformatics web site with links to the servers, mirror sites for WWW sites for DNA/protein analysis and centralized servers including a Storage Area Network (SAN) (web-based client/server interfaces). http://www.bioinformatics.wsu.edu     Molecular Cytogenetics Core: Directed by Lisa Shaffer, this core provides (1) routine karyotype analysis on the investigator's established human cell lines or human clinical samples; (2) molecular cytogenetic analysis (fluorescent in situ hybridization, FISH) using the investigator's clone and either the investigator's cell lines or clinical samples, or on normal control cell lines from the Core; (3) 24-color karyotyping of human cell lines to identify complex rearrangements; (4) mapping of human large-insert clones from the investigator's laboratory to determine a map position in normal control cell lines from the Core; (5) assist in identifying human large-insert clones for use in the Core; (6) lymphoblastic EBV transformation of human peripheral blood samples to establish permanent cell lines; (7) store investigator's established cell lines, provide growing cultures back to investigators, and provide fixed cell pellets back to investigators. The Core is willing to engage in karyotype analysis of non-human cell lines and clinical specimens if investigators are willing to supply normal examples from several individuals from a species in order for the Core to gain expertise prior to performing karyotypic analysis on clinical specimens. Future work could extend into FISH on non-human cell lines using clones and cell lines provided from the investigators.     Flow Cytometry Core: Directed by Dr. William Davis, this core provides members with access to the Flow Cytometry Core facility and provide users with personal support for cell sorting, operation of equipment and data analysis. Housed in the newly built Animal Disease and Biotechnology Facility, the College of Veterinary Medicine operates this facility. This facility currently has three flow cytometers: FACScan, FACSort, FACSVantage (Becton Dickinson Immunocytometry Systems). The FACScan is a simple flow cytometer. It has a single laser and can analyze five separate parameters (side and forward scatter light scatter and 3 fluorescent markers). The FACSort has two lasers and can analyze and sort cells based on 6 separate parameters (side and forward scatter, and 4 fluorescent markers). The FACS Vantage SE is a high speed cell sorter. It has two lasers and can analyze and sort based on 8 separate parameters (side and forward scatter and 6 fluorescent markers). All flow cytometers have internet access and are equipped with software for data acquisition and analysis. There are also two separate computer workstations for data analysis   For more information and/or feedback send mail to: crb@mail.wsu.edu .