- Immunoassays for Endocrine Hormones
Metabolic hormone assays via ELISA are offered to the community, including insulin, leptin, and corticosterone, Adiponectin, etc. A wide variety of additional assays will be provided as needed. All ELISA assays are performed at the SpectraMax Plus384 platform, which provides enhanced optics and temperature stability.
- Luminex Applications
We have extensive experience with multiplex assays using technology from Luminex. The reactants for these assays are attached to microspheres and provide substrate for dye based analysis of particular analytes. The Luminex instrumentation incorporates the use of multiple analytes based on distinct fluorescent emission spectra of individual beads in the mixture that are appended to each analyte. In certain cases sensitivity of the Luminex is less than that of ELISA assays or RIA; however, in our experience, this approach is extremely sensitive for the use of small volumes of blood in multiple measures including insulin and leptin. A wide number of markers are also available; however, the most frequently applied at this point include insulin, glucagon, leptin, cytokines, chemokines, and adipokines.
- Lipid and Glucose Chemical Analyeses
We test Cholesterol, LDL, HDL, Triglyceride, Free Fatty Acid and Glucose using Spectrophotometry method.
- Roche Cobas e 411 Analyzer
The Roche cobas e411 is a fully automated, multi-channel analyser employing sophisticated electrochemiluminescence (ECL) technology to deliver excellent low-end sensitivity and broad dynamic range of assays including metabolic and reproductive hormones, thyroid function test, cardiac markers, maternal care, tumor markers and bone turnover markers.
Click here for a detailed list
- TSE Lab Master System
The TSE LabMaster Automated Phenotyping system is a state-of-the-art system for studying energy metabolism at whole animal level. It offers a highly flexible modular solution for automated metabolic and behavioral monitoring of awake laboratory animals including mice and rats. It is composed of standard home cages and an integrated system to study various aspects of energy metabolism including but not limited to feeding, drinking, locomotor activity, energy expenditure (via analysis of gas exchange including O2 consumption and CO2production), exercise, etc. The availability of a light and temperature-controlled chamber further expands the resources for researches on circadian rhythms and thermogenesis including thermoneutrality.
Since our work involves a specific procedure, per IACUC policy, our users will need to add the core AAP (Approved Animal Protocol) to their animal protocol. Please see Form Section for the AAP. It normally takes a few days to get approval from IACUC.
- We usually recommend testing male mice (unless only female mice have the phenotype) around 8-10 weeks of age (with body weight 20 gram or above).
- We can test up to 10 mice at one time.
- The test will last 7 days with the first 3 day as acclimation and the last 4 days as data collection.
- You will need to transfer your mice to our facility (Lurie Sub-Basement Rm 411) for the test.
- Since the facility is located at the conventional area, if your mice are originally from the barrier, at the end of the experiment, you will need to either sacrifice the mice or transfer the animals to the sub-basement area in Lurie building.
Note: We only list service commonly provided. For specific service not listed, please contact us directly at 312-503-5313 or email (basslab@northwestern.edu).