Major health and medical research facilities
The University of Sydney has extensive state-of-the-art laboratories and research facilities. These include:
- Advanced Imaging Facility
- Sydney University Proteome Research Unit
- Brain & Mind Research Institute
- Australian Centre for Microscopy & Microanalysis (ACMM)
- Oxidative Stress Bioanalytical Facility
- Exercise and sports facilities
- Gene and Cell Medicine facility
- Molecular facilities
Advanced Imaging Facility
Advanced Imaging and Molecular Biology facilities contain state-of-the-art equipment to support research activities of the Bosch Institute. Major equipment includes advanced imaging systems, confocal microscope, deconvolution microscope, laser capture dissection microscope and a single cell imaging system.
Brain & Mind Research Institute
The Brain & Mind Research Institute (BMRI) at the University of Sydney has been developed to provide a unique campus for the integration of the full spectrum of clinical and basic neurosciences in Australia.
The activities of the BMRI are orientated around five major clinical areas, namely, youth mental health, child developmental disorders, psychotic disorders, dementia and multiple sclerosis. Each has developed major clinical and basic research programs with strong national or international leadership. The programs all share access to new and vibrant clinical spaces, research laboratories and state of the art molecular imaging and animal behaviour facilities.
Australian Centre for Microscopy & Microanalysis (ACMM)
The Australian Centre for Microscopy & Microanalysis (ACMM) is the largest and most comprehensive facility of its type in Australia. The centre is the headquarters the Australian Microscopy & Microanalysis Research Facility, and is a node of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Design in Light Materials. Researchers have access to an outstanding array of nanostructural analysis equipment, within the ACMM and at its partner nodes. The centre is a major contributor to the University’s research output, and plays a vital role in supporting the microscopy and wider community through training, award courses and consulting.
Oxidative Stress Bioanalytical Facility
The Oxidative Stress Bioanalytical Facility (OSBF) is a core facility of the Bosch Institute located in the Medical Foundation Building. The facility provides state-of-the-art analytical equipment and methodology to quantify reactive oxygen species in cells and tissue with specificity and sensitivity. OSBF is a PC2 facility equipped with ultra high performance liquid chromatography, a triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer, a 8-channel coulometric electrochemical detector, and tissue culture facility. The facility is available to all University of Sydney and other Australian researchers interested in measuring biologically relevant oxidative stress.
Exercise and sports facilities
Research in the School of Exercise and Sport Science is conducted in a range of world-standard sport science laboratories.
The Biomechanics laboratory houses an 8 camera, 5 force plate, motion analysis system that has the capacity to analyse complex three-dimensional movements in real time as the athlete executes the motion on an Olympic running track that passes through the laboratory.
Environmental conditions can be precisely controlled in the Climate Chamber which can be adjusted from - 15 to 50 Celsius and 5 to 95% humidity while a wide range of physiological parameters are monitored.
The Delta Sleep Research Unit is a two bedroom apartment that uses the Compumedics Sleep Monitoring System to study the effects of sleep on human performance.
Gene and Cell Medicine facility
The Gene and Cell Medicine Facility is a state-of-the-art cell manipulation and gene therapy formulation facility located at the Kids Research Institute. It is built to comply with the rigorous Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) code of Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP).
The Facility’s primary purpose is to provide the high-tech infrastructure necessary to carry out novel and ground-breaking cellular therapies to benefit children. This includes but is not limited to gene therapy clinical trials. One of the key challenges in gene therapy is to safely repair or replace faulty genes with healthy ones in a sufficient number of cells to achieve therapeutic benefit. This involves the use of cutting-edge gene delivery technologies and manipulation of patient cells that can only be achieved with access to specialised facilities such as these.
Use of the Facility is open to both Hospital and industry-based researchers.
Molecular facilities
Research facilities at the School of Molecular and Microbial Biosciences include:
- Analytical Ultracentrifugation
- Circular Dichroism Spectropolarimetry
- Fluorescence Microscopy
- Mass Spectrometry
- NMR Spectroscopy
- Protein Production and Purification
- Transgenic Mouse Facility
- X-Ray Crystallography
The MS/NMR facility is used by a large number of researchers to aid in the elucidation of new bioactive pharmacologial compounds as well as natural product identification and quantitation of metabolites from patient samples and for researchers involved with both clinical trials and hospital patient monitoring. Also involved is contract research with industry.
Sydney University Proteome Research Unit
The Sydney University Proteome Research Unit is housed within the School of Molecular Bioscience and draws upon expertise from the School and across the University of Sydney. SUPRU provides a range of services using specialist integrated technologies for proteomic discoveries to enhance our knowledge of the role of proteins in biology and medicine.
Other facilities at the School of Molecular and Microbial Biosciences include NMR spectroscopy, microscopy, protein analysis and X-ray crystallography.