Biobehavioral Research Laboratory
The biobehavioral research laboratory is a center of excellence for salivary science and biobanking. It serves as a one-stop shop for students and researchers for designing and conducting research studies involved biobehavioral methods.
The biological research laboratory at the School of Nursing is a multi-use facility for faculty and student research involving physiological variables and measurements (862 square feet). The laboratory is classified as a Biosafety Level 2 facility by the UT Health San Antonio Environmental Health and Safety Department. The lab has a laminar flow hood and CO2 incubator for cell culture and a cryogenic biological storage system for preserving frozen cells. It is equipped with single and multi-channel pipette systems, a centrifugation system and a vortex, along with equipment for immunoassay such microtiter plate shaker, incubator, ELx808™ absorbance microplate reader and plate washer and associated computer programs. The ELx800 ™ is designed for applications within the clinical, biotechnology and pharmaceutical laboratory, and is ideal solution for many microplate-based biological assays. There is also an inverted phase contrast microscope for examining cell cultures which can be upgraded to include a camera. It also has a binocular digital high power microscopy with connectivity to computer. A multi-mode plate reader allows UV/Visible light and fluorescent or chemiluminescent plate assays. Both gamma and scintillation counters are available; thus almost any commercial kit assays can be performed in the lab, regardless of the detection system required. A thermal cycler and gel apparatus are available for molecular biological techniques, as well as a Gel DocIt system for processing the results with publication-quality photos. The lab provides adequate space for individual experimental work. A water system provides water of the highest quality for all applications, including molecular genetics needs. The lab is equipped with counter space, a chemical fume hood, a -20º C freezer, a -70º C freezer, and a small autoclave. A pH meter and analytical balance are also present. The lab is plumbed to accept compressed gases and has a house vacuum line. A large stirred water bath with range of room temperature to 44° C and a collection of certified scientific clinical thermometers are available. The lab is also equipped with up-to-date computer and printer system.
The laboratory also has resources for various physical assessments including, but not limited to, body composition (i.e., Physician scale, COSMED bod pod), strength and fitness (i.e., Biodex system 3, Baseline hydraulic hand dynamometer, ParvoMedic Metabolic Card, Stop watch, and Polar heart rate monitor) and cardiovascular function (i.e., sphygmomanometer, oxymeter). It also has resources for neuropsychological testing including, but not limited to, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, CANTAB (Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery), and D-KEFS (Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System). For more information, please contact Dr. Darpan Patel (pateld7@uthscsa.edu) and Dr. M. Danet Lapiz Bluhm (lapiz@uthscsa.edu).
