Research Facilities
The Department of Immunology and Molecular Microbiology occupies more than 15,000 sq. ft. of laboratory space within Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) that contains state-of-the-art molecular, cellular and immunological instrumentation.
The Department of Immunology and Molecular Microbiology houses its own brand new departmental core facility containing modern, state of the art research equipment.
- The departmental core houses an IsoSpark Duo Cell Proteomics Platform with 2 x 4 chip capacity.
- We also house a Cytek Northern Lights 3000 (38+3 channel) 3-laser flow cytometer. This cytometer delivers high quality data, and easily resolves rare and dim populations, regardless of assay complexity.
TTUHSC is one of only three institutions in Texas to have this type of capability. The new 1,200-square-foot facility houses more than $2 million of laboratory equipment.
- The most powerful instrument in the Core Facility is a Nikon TiE confocal microscope equipped with an option known as N-STORM (Nikon Stochastic Optical Resolution Microscopy).
- This ultra-high resolution microscope enlarges images 6,000 to 10,000 times larger than the human eye can see.
- The microscope utilizes fluorescent probes to mark molecules in the cells.
- It scans the images 50,000 times or more, and within an hour can produce intricate images of the smallest structures within the samples.
- The images can also be combined to produce a 3-D model on a computer screen, so that the model can be moved to undergo more intricate analysis.
- In addition, this core houses a Zeiss LSM510/Meta confocal microscope, a Metafluor Imaging System and a variety of multimodality microscopes for imaging un-stained or fluorescently stained cells and thin sections.
- The Zeiss AxioCam CCD camera can be easily attached to the different microscopes for capturing images.
This is the newest core facility to open at TTUHSC. This 1,200-square foot facility houses the very latest molecular and cellular analytical equipment including an Amnis ImageStream cell analyzer, an Accuri C6 flow cytomer and a FACSJazz cell sorter.
- In addition, the Molecular Biology Core Facility houses the GE Typhoon and phosphorescence/luminescence analyzer.
- A BioLector as well as an Agilent Bioanalyzer and C1-Cell AutoPrep System.
- Fluidigm Auto Prep and Access Array systems are also housed in this core facility.
- Different PCR instrumentation and automated cell counters.
In addition to the core facilities, faculty and students have access to a second Flow Cytometry laboratory that is operated by the Cancer Center in the School of Medicine.
- This state-of-the-art facility has a BD LSR II flow cytometer and a FACSAria cell sorter. The LSR II is capable of analyzing 16 simultaneous colors.
- TTUHSC also maintains a modern and well-equipped animal care facility that occupies 31,000 sq. ft. of space within the School of Medicine.
- This facility houses procedural space, conventional housing for rodents, barrier housing for immuno-deficient and germ-free rodents, and housing for non-rodent species.
- A new and free-standing medical library is located next to the Health Sciences Center building and is readily available to all of our students, faculty and staff.
Since its inception, the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) has seen the establishment of numerous centers and institutes that have made important contributions to the accomplishment of TTUHSC mission and goals.
Centers and Institutes at TTUHSC are multidisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary groups of faculty and their associates who have been brought together for the pursuit of research, education, and/or clinical activities. The goals of each center and institute typically require substantial collaboration and cooperation between two or more disciplines from within and outside of TTUHSC.
The Cancer Center at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine (TTUHSC SOM) was established in 2008 to provide a center of excellence for cancer research for the School of Medicine and the entire South Plains region.
A major focus of the TTUHSC SOM Cancer Center is conducting laboratory and clinical research that develops new anti-cancer drugs for both adults and children with difficult-to-treat cancers.
Visit SOM Cancer Center
The mission of the Center for Tropical Medicine and infectious Diseases (CTMID) is to contribute to the improvement of health worldwide through the pursuit of excellence in research, and advanced training of MS/PhD-graduate students and MD-fellows in infectious diseases and tropical medicine of public health importance. We will strive toward making new discoveries that will translate into the development of sensitive and specific products for the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of important diseases.
TTUHSC has interprofessional, multimodality simulation centers on the campuses at Abilene (established 2007), Amarillo, Lubbock (established in 1981), and Odessa (established 2009). These centers provide simulated, realistic healthcare environments for TTUHSC students and residents and the West Texas Community. Experiences within these centers, facilitate the acquisition of competencies required to provide safe, culturally sensitive, quality patient care. The integration of advanced simulators, standardized patients, haptic devices, and authentic medical equipment and supplies into the various learning experiences allows the Simulation Program to fulfill its vision, Bringing Learning to Life.
Each center has specific areas that represent both acute and primary healthcare settings to include: emergency and operating rooms, birthing suite with nursery. Each center has a sophisticated digital audio-visual system. This system allows live or recorded video to be delivered to individuals, classrooms, and between campuses. The centers encompass cutting edge technology to include: ultrasound, telehealth, electronic health records, and augmented reality.