Experimental facility

Our experimental facility consists of 11 rooms with the total area of ca. 200 m². Each room is equipped with air conditioning, air humidity control system, and connected to an automatic stand-by power generator. Additionally, Tissue Culture Room, Molecular Biology Unit and Microfluidics Unit are equipped with HEPA H14 air filtration system.

We have permission for the contained use of GMOs in our research.

Tissue Culture Unit

Tissue culture room.

• laminar hoods
• CO₂ incubators
• inverted laboratory microscope (Leica DM IL LED)
• automated cell counter (Bio-Rad TC10 Automated Cell Counter)
• water baths
• shaker
• incubated shaker
• centrifuge
• micro-centrifuge
• freezer −25 °C
• ultra-low temperature freezer −86 °C
• cryogenic storage Dewar
• autoclave 108L (HMC HG113)
• water purification system
• icemaker
• accessories: vortex, magnetic stirrer, heating block, aspirators

Molecular Biology Unit

Molecular biology room.

• laminar hood
• CO₂ incubator
• inverted laboratory microscope (Leica DM IL LED)
• bioanalyzer (Agilent 2100 Bioanalyzer)
• nucleoporator (Lonza Nucleofector IIS)
• PCR thermocycler (Eppendorf Mastercycler)
• real-time PCR (Applied Biosystems QuantStudio 12K Flex)
• digital PCR (Applied Biosystems QuantStudio 3D)
• flow cytometer (BD FACSCalibur)
• fluorometer (Thermo Scientific Fluoroskan Ascent Microplate Fluorometer)
• spectrophotometer (Thermo Scientific Multiskan GO Microplate Spectrophotometer)
• Western blot set
• nucleic acid gel separation system
• imaging system (Bio-Rad ChemiDoc MP Imaging System)
• gel imaging system (Bio-Rad Molecular Imager GelDoc XR+)
• centrifuge
• micro-centrifuge
• water baths
• refrigerator
• accessories: vortex, magnetic stirrer, balance, heating block
• dark-room (separate)

Microscopy Unit

Confocal microscopy unit.

• confocal microscope Leica TCS SP5 X with environmental chamber 
  • based on inverted, fully automated microscope Leica DMI6000
  • environmental chamber with temperature, CO₂ and humidity control
  • scanning stage with Super-Z Galvo
  • 3 PMT confocal detectors
  • 1 brightfield detector
  • digital camera Leica DFC365FX (cooled, 21 fps at full resolution 1392×1040)
  • fluorescence light source: 120 W mercury metal halide lamp
  • Lasers:
    • White Light Laser (WLL): tunable excitation wavelengths from 470 nm to 670 nm
      with 1 nm resolution, up to 8 excitation lines can be used simultaneously
    • diode 405 nm
    • multi-wavelengths Argon laser: 458, 476, 488, 496 and 514 nm
    • DPSS 561 nm
    • HeNe 633 nm
  • Objectives:
    • HC PL FLUOTAR 5×/0.15
    • HC PL APO 10×/0.40 CS
    • HC PL APO 20×/0.70 CS
    • HCX PL APO 40×/0.85 CS
    • HCX PL APO 63×/1.40-0.60 OIL CS
  • Fluorescence filter cubes:
    • GFP (filter "GFP"): excitation: BP470/40, dichroic: 495, emission: BP525/50
    • FITC (filter "I.3"): excitation BP450-490, dichroic: 510, emission: LP515
    • TRITC (filter "N2.1"): excitation BP515-560, dichroic: 580, emission: LP590
    • Red "band-pass" (filter "N3 ET"): excitation BP546/11, dichroic: 565,
      emission:BP 600/40
    • DAPI "long-pass" (filter "A"): excitation BP340-380, dichroic: 400, emission: LP425
    • DAPI "band-pass" (filter "A4 ET"): excitation BP360/40, dichroic: 400,
      emission: BP470/40

• TIRF microscope Leica AM TIRF MC 
  • based on inverted, fully automated microscope Leica DMI6000 with AFC
  • environmental chamber with temperature, CO₂ and humidity control
  • methods: TIRF, FRET, fluorescence, bright filed, DIC, polarization
  • fully integrated module for Multi-Color Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence technique
    • specimen penetration depth from 70 nm to 300 nm
    • lasers: 405, 488, 561 and 635 nm with AOTF
    • TIRF objectiv: HCX PL APO 100×/1.47 OIL CORR TIRF
  • fluorescence light source: 120 W mercury metal halide lamp
  • Cameras:
    • EM-CCD, Hamamatsu C9100-02 (1000×1000 pix, monochrome, cooled, high EM gain, up to 256 fps, 31 fps at full resolution)
    • Leica DFC365FX (1391x1040 pix, monochrome, cooled, up to 122 fps, 21 fps at full resolution)
    • Leica DFC295 (2048x1536 pix, color, up to 35 fps, 12 fps at full resolution)
  • Objectives:
    • N PLAN 2.5×/0.07
    • N PLAN 5×/0.12
    • HCX PL S-APO 10×/0.30
    • HCX PL FL L 20×/0.40 CORR
    • HCX PL FL L 63×/0.70 CORR
    • HCX PL APO 100×/1.47 OIL CORR TIRF

• confocal bio-imaging system: BD Pathway 435
• integrated system of Atomic Force Microscopy AFM, confocal microscopy and Raman spectroscopy (NTEGRA Spectra, NT-MDT Co.)
• inverted fluorescent microscope (Leica DMI3000B)
• optical tweezers

Microfluidics Unit

Microfluidics unit.

• microfluidic platform for cell culturing CellASIC ONIX
• microPIV platform: Nikon Eclipse E-50i epi-fluorescent microscope with double-shutter CCD camera and double-pulsed Nd:YAG laser
• stereo microscopes
• high-precision syringe pumps (neMESYS, Cetoni GmbH)
• high-precision peristaltic pumps (peRISYS, Cetoni GmbH)
• syringe pumps, peristaltic pump, micro gear pump
• high-speed intensified CMOS camera (Lambert HiCAM 500)
• high-speed camera (Photron, FASTCAM Mini AX100 540K-M-8GB)
• high-speed CMOS camera (pco.1200 hs, PCO IMAGING)
• double-shutter CCD camera (SensiCam, PCO IMAGING)
• equipment for microfluidic chip fabrication by soft photolithography, i.a. spin coater, plasma cleaner, UV curing system, laboratory ovens, heating plates
• equipment for microfluidic chip fabrication by micro-milling
• 3D printer (Zortrax Inventure)

Biomaterials Unit

• setup for polymer nanofibers fabrication by electrospinning equipped with environmental chamber
• 3D bioprinter (Cellink, INKREDIBLE S-10002-001)
• lyophilizator (LABCONCO, FreeZone 2.5 Liter -84C Benchtop Freeze Dryer 710201030)
• plasma cleaner (Diener, ZEPTO PCCE)
• fume hood
• accessories: analytical balances, centrifuges, vortexes, magnetic stirrers, blood roller mixer, water baths, refrigerated/heating circulators, conductometer, pH-meter, vacuum pump, pipettes, etc.

Other equipment

• solenoid micro-valves
• pressure sensors
• temperature sensors
• high-energy, double-pulsed Nd:YAG nanosecond laser (EKSPLA NL303D)
• high frequency 1 kHz pulsed Nd:YAG laser (EKSPLA NL202)
• double-pulsed Nd:YAG laser (SoloPIV, New Wave Research Inc.)
• accessories like camera lenses, microscope objectives, mirrors, lenses, halogen lamps, sensors of temperature, pressure, humidity, viscosity and others

Laboratory equipment was partially financed by the European Union – the European Regional Development Fund within the Operational Programme “Innovative Economy” for 2007–2013.