The Division of Biology houses state-of-the-art facilities for life science research. It includes both laboratories and tutorial rooms. The main laboratory consists of a large teaching laboratory, a Research Laboratory, and a shared instrumentation facility. In addition, specialized and sensitive instrumentation is housed in individual rooms. The design is based on the open laboratory system giving full access for undergraduate students to all facilities.
The teaching laboratory can accommodate 50 undergraduate students and has research-grade PCR machines, DNA and protein electrophoresis and blotting systems, spectrophotometers, temperature controlled mixers for microfuge tubes and 96-well plates, mixer cum vortex, and a number of microscopes including trinocular stereomicroscopes equipped with LCD displays to carry out undergraduate practical training in a number of key areas in biological sciences.
The common instrumentation facility houses temperature controlled table top refrigerated centrifuges with fixed-angle and swinging-bucket rotors, a number of Biosafety II cabinets for microbiology experiments, Millipore water purification systems, fluorescent gel documentation and analysis systems, UV trans-illuminators and cross-linkers, orbital shakers, floor model and bench-top refrigerated incubator shakers, DNA and protein speed-vac systems and water baths.
A number of refrigerators/freezers including -40C and -86C freezers are also available here. This facility is strategically placed between the main research and teaching laboratories to allow access by both researchers and undergraduate students.
The research laboratory is designed to accommodate up to 40 research students/, post-doctoral fellows/technical assistants. The laboratory, composed of a main research facility with a number of additional rooms for specialized research, is fully equipped for cutting-edge research including gradient PCR machines, real-time PCR machine, chemi-bioluminiscence imager, multi-mode plate reader and double beam UV-VIS spectrophotometer with temperature controller. A fluorescent activated cell sorter (FACS) and a MALDI-TOF would be added soon.
The specialized research rooms include the Drosophila laboratory, focused on research on fruit flies, which is equipped with binocular stereo-microscopes and fly stations for fly pushing and incubators for housing stocks. Flies are also maintained in large cages for population studies. We also have a microinjection unit integrated with an inverted microscope for generating transgenic Drosophila lines.
The microscope room has the following high-end microscopes (i) A stereomicroscope capable of imaging and digitally documenting both fluorescent and transmitted light microscopy images. (ii) A fully automated upright fluorescence microscope with high resolution Nomarski DIC capability coupled with monochrome and colour CCD cameras. The microscope also incorporates structured light based grid projection technology producing confocal images. (iii) A high-speed, fully automated inverted microscope with fluorescence and Nomarski DIC optics for time lapse imaging of live samples is being currently assembled. The unit will include temperature and CO2 regulated growth chambers for live cell imaging. A laser Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence (TIRF) unit with automated wavelength and critical angle switching for time lapse imaging is also being integrated with this system. In the near future we intend to include a high-speed, inverted confocal system in our imaging facility.
The specially designed positive-pressure cell/tissue culture room houses Biosafety II A2 vertical laminar flow hoods, air and water jacketed CO2 incubators, refrigerated table-top centrifuge, inverted fluorescent microscope for monitoring and documenting cultured cells and automated cell viability analyzer and counter.
A separate room houses high-speed centrifuges and an ultra-centrifuge. We also have a separate glassware washing and media preparation facility.