Diggs Laboratory for Life Sciences

• Our laboratory is situated on the 2nd floor of the newly constructed Diggs Laboratory for Life Science Research building. This state-of-the-art "green" building was constructed using energy-saving principles and materials. In addition to energy reduction the building conserves water, creates a sustainable indoor environment, and improves occupant comfort. Compared to other research facilities, the building contains more spacious labs with large windows and has modern laboratory workbenches and office areas. It features open floor design for main laboratories, has wireless network hubs on all floors of the building, and is fitted with electronic temperature controls and light sensors.

Paliy Lab: 265 Diggs

• Our laboratory consists of three separate rooms and a common corridor space housing large equipment.

• Main laboratory has spaces for six researchers to carry out experimental work. Equipment situated in this room includes centrifuges, ABI qPCR machine, PCR thermocycler, laminar hood, incubator, UV-Vis spectrophotometer, vacuum evaporator, balances, etc.

Anarobic culturing facility

• The adjacent to main laboratory culturing room contains Coy dual anaerobic chamber system, dedicated CO₂ and low oxygen incubators, and class II laminar hood.

• Anaerboic polymer chamber allow us to culture obligate anaerobic microbes in oxygen-free conditions, whereas we can place different equipment pieces in the anaerobic vinyl chamber and carry out experiments with these anaerobes.

Bioreactor facility

• A separate room houses in vitro simulator of human gut that we designed and built in our laboratory. Each bioreactor vessel simulates a separate region of the gut; three regions representing ascending, transverse, and descending colon are shown in the image. A mixture of N₂ and CO₂ gases is pumped periodically through each vessel to maintain anaerobic environment.

• The medium which closely matches food bolus contents is supplied to vessel 1, and vessel contents are periodically transferred from vessel 1 to vessel 2, from vessel 2 to vessel 3, and from vessel 3 to waste collection flask. The environmental conditions (temperature, pH, relative volume, medium movement) in each vessel match those measured in the corresponding human gut regions.

Student office: 256 Diggs

• A separate room in close proximity to the laboratory and to Dr. Paliy office serves as student office / computer room. The office has space for at least four students, additional desks are also positioned in the main laboratory. Student office houses three networked personal computers and a network printer. For sustenance during work, microwave and coffee machine are also strategically placed in the office.

BMB Department

• The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology occupies all basement, all 1st, and part of the 2nd floor on the Diggs Building.

• CGR center containing among others microarray and qPCR equipment is located on the 1st floor of the Diggs Building. Our new NGS facility is also housed in the CGR.