Duke University and Duke University School of Medicine offer state-of-the-art shared research facilities that are available for use by all Duke investigators. Core facilities are physically housed and administered by Duke research institutes and centers, including the Duke Cancer Institute and the Duke Human Vaccine Institute. Click here for a list of and links to the core facilities.
FACILITIES
Z-Core:
The Duke University School of Medicine Zebrafish Core Facilities (Z-Core) is a shared resource that offers aquaculture services to a diverse group of biomedical researchers using zebrafish as a model organism. The Z-Core has a capacity for over 12,000 fish tanks with a full-time dedicated staff to care for several hundred thousand fish. The staff feeds approximately 35 million brine shrimp daily and over 1,000 pounds of fish food annually. The facilities utilize large recirculating aquaculture systems equipped with some of the most advanced equipment available to house the fish and ensure optimal health.
The Z-Core is comprised of four facilities. Each facility has dedicated procedure rooms equipped with various microscope setups, incubators, microinjectors, and a capillary puller. The Z-Core facilities all share an isolated quarantine room for imported and sick fish.
This shared resource is available to all Duke researchers and currently services six research labs from multiple departments. Under the direction of facility manager, Jim Burris, the Z-Core maintains full accreditation by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC). To learn more about this shared resource please visit the Z-Core website.
Light Microscopy Core Facility
The Duke Light Microscopy Core Facility (LMCF) offers a wide range of confocal and conventional fluorescence microscopes and image analysis resources. As a centrally funded shared resource, the core’s aim is to offer affordable and efficient access to standard and advanced imaging instrumentation for users of all levels of experience and from any discipline across the Duke University and the Duke Medical Center campuses. To learn more about this shared resource please visit the LMCF website.
