Laboratories

  Three rooms in the Blocker Medical Research Building (MRB) comprise the P.I.’s laboratories.  Room 7.106 (650 sq. ft.) and Room 7.110 (650 sq. ft.) contain three patch clamp setups for recording from labyrinthine neuroepithelial slices, dissociated hair cells heterologous expression system cells and oocytes.  A third room (Room 7.110A; 256 sq. ft.) is used for molecular biology - PCR amplification, gel electrophoresis and Western Blotting. Rm. 7.106 houses 2 patch clamp stations:  The 1^st has a TMC vibration isolation table, a Zeiss Axioskop upright microscope with DIC optics, Optovar variable magnification plus slider supplementary magnification and a X40 water immersion lens (total X 2,445).  The microscope is mounted on a Newport 400 linear translator; attached to a C2400-07 Hammamatsu infrared CCD camera which is attached to a Sony video monitor and a SVHS VCR.  Related peripherals include 2 Burleigh PCS 1000 piezoelectric micropositioners, a Khron – Hite digital filter, an oscilloscope, a CED 1401 peripheral interface, an Axon Instruments Digi Data 1200 interface, an Axopatch 200B amplifier and PC running Clampex V9.2.  The 2^nd station has a TMC vibration isolation table, a Zeiss Axioskop upright microscope equipped DIC optics, Optovar supplementary magnification and a X40 water immersion lens, a CCD camera and VCR.  Related peripherals include:  an oscilloscope, a Burleigh PCS 3000 piezo – micropositioner, ALS DAD-12 superfusion system, an Axon Instruments Digi-Data 1200 interface a Axopatch 200 amplifier and a PC running Clampex V 8.3. The third station (Room 7.110) contains a TMC vibration isolation table, a Nikon dissecting microscope, micromanipulators, a Digi-Data 1200 peripheral interface and an Axoclamp 2A amplifier.  In each room there is a Sutter 2000 laser pipette puller and a Narashige microforge.  Room 7.110 A contains a Safety cabinet, a P-E thermal cycler, gell apparatus, a Harris –80° C freezer, A Thermo Electron incubator,  a class A fume hood, a Barnstead water distillation unit, pH meters, a Precision Systems Osmette microosmometer, a Beckman DU 500 spectrophotometer and a Beckman 22R refrigerated centrifuge.