FACILITIES

The facilities at Shannon ABC are co-located between the South Campus of IT Tralee and the Hartnett Enterprise Acceleration Centre. This co-location allows our Industry and Research Partners to take advantage of the synergistic skills and wide range of equipment available at the two locations.

Laboratories

Shannon ABC laboratories are customised and future proofed for wide ranging biotechnological and analytical capabilities including dedicated research bench space, analytical suites, raw material processing, HEPA filtered microbial suite and tissue culture suite, fermentation suite. Access to laboratories is controlled and restricted to authorised personnel only.

Equipment

• ÄKTA Purifier Fast Protein Liquid Chromatography

  The ÄKTApurifier FPLC, together with ÄKTAdesign automation kits, ensure that protein purification efforts are always focused on target proteins of interest. ÄKTApurifier comes in standard configurations equipped with a triple wavelength UV monitor that allows detection of a wide range of proteins and contaminants. Together with the Monitor pH/C-900, temperature, pH and conductivity are measured in the flow path. ÄKTApurifier UPC systems offer robust monitoring of UV absorption at a single wavelength, as well as simultaneous conductivity and pH. These systems are economical alternatives and are designed for basic purification tasks.

• Flame Atomic Absorbtion Spectrometer

  Flame atomic absorption is a very common technique for detecting metals and metalloids in environmental samples.

• Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrometer

  GF-AA spectroscopy is a technique that provides an exceptionally sensitive (ppb) means of detecting metals and their abundance.

• FT-IR Spectrometer

  FT-IR spectroscopy is an analytical tool to identify used to reveal the chemical fingerprint of a material, even in mixtures, allowing different materials to be identified simultaneously. It can also characterize samples in applications such as quality testing raw materials in pharmaceutical laboratories and detecting explosives or narcotics in forensic analysis.

• Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS)

  GC-MS is a method that combines the features of gas-liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry to identify different substances within a test sample. Applications of GC-MS include drug detection, fire investigation, environmental analysis, explosives investigation, and identification of unknown samples.

• Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) (QTOF)

  The Agilent Technologies 6520 Accurate-Mass Q-TOF LC/MS/MS redefines Q-TOF performance. With innovations like 32 Gbit/sec data sampling, high-efficiency ion optics, and temperature-stabilized ADC time-of-flight electronics, the 6520 achieves a combination of mass accuracy and resolution, sensitivity, and in-spectrum dynamic range that far exceeds that of other Q-TOF systems and orbital trapping instruments. The accurate mass Q-TOF provides the capabilities you need to profile, identify, characterize, and even quantitate samples as diverse as drug impurities, endogenous metabolites, and protein biomarkers.

• Supercritical Fluid Extraction

  Carbon dioxide is in its supercritical fluid state when both the temperature and pressure equal or exceed the critical point of 31°C and 73 atm (see diagram). In its supercritical state, CO2 has both gas-like and liquid-like qualities, and it is this dual characteristic of supercritical fluids that provides the ideal conditions for extracting compounds with a high degree of recovery in a short period of time. Supercritical Fluids are not new, they were discovered in 1822 by Baron Charles Cagniard de la Tour, and have been used regularly in laboratories for thirty years. With today's push toward Green Chemistry and Nanotechnology, supercritical fluids have become more widely used in applications you might not expect.

• Freeze Dryer/Spray Dryer

  Drying facilities for removing water from solid frozen or liquid samples for molecule recovery/concentration. Spray chilling facility available for biologically labile molecules.

• Biomek automated work station

  The Biomek FXP is the latest entry in the Biomek line. With an up-to-date hardware design for greater positional accuracy and increased robustness, it can meet the needs of just about any application. It can be configured with either one or two pipetting pods. With its large deck capacity, the Biomek FXP sets the standard for flexible laboratory solutions to meet a wide variety of applications and needs. It puts every aspect of liquid handling – including pipetting, dilution, dispensing and integration – into a single, automated system that is as powerful and flexible as it is efficient and economical.

• Biotek synergy 4 plate reader

  Synergy 4 with Hybrid Technology is the most advanced multi-detection microplate reader, designed to address the widest range of microplate-based applications. Its optical design combines a fluorescence filter-based detection system and a monochromator-based detection system in one compact unit. The filter-based system can be used when high sensitivity or fast read speeds are a requirement. The monochromator system is available when spectral scanning is needed. Synergy 4 is the ideal instrument for core laboratories, assay development laboratories, or screening laboratories where assay requirements vary widely, and new molecules or processes are tested on a regular basis. With its hybrid optical design and three light sources, Synergy 4 offers users optimal assay performance over the widest range of applications. Available options include Filter-based and Monochromator-based Fluorescence Intensity (Hybrid Technology), Time-Resolved Fluorescence, Fluorescence Polarization, AlphaScreen, UV-visible Absorbance, Flash and Glow Luminescence and Dual Reagent Injector.

• Sartorius stedim tangential cross flow ultrafiltration

  Each assembly is optimized for ultrafiltration, microfiltration and diafiltration applications used in many downstream processes like purification of vaccines, monoclonal antibodies or recombinant proteins. All product wetted parts of the system are supplied sterile and made from single-use components.

• Real-Time PCR

  Applied Biosystems 7300 Real-Time PCR System is an affordable platform for the detection and quantification of nucleic acid sequences that will not compromise your data quality or dye choice flexibility. The 7300 Real-Time PCR System combines thermal cycling, fluorescence detection, and application-specific software to measure the cycle-by-cycle accumulation of PCR products in a single-tube, homogeneous reaction. Quantitative results are available immediately upon completion of PCR, with no need to run gels, purify PCR products, or perform any post-PCR manipulations. Real-time PCR runs are completed in under two hours, using 96-well plates and tubes (individual or 8-strip), with a supported volume range of 20 – 100 μL.

• Kjeldahl Analysis

  The Kjeldahl-method's universality, precision and reproducibility have made it the internationally-recognized method for estimating the protein content in foods and it is the standard method against which all other methods are judged.

• Armfield FT18 Reverse Osmosis/Ultrafiltration Unit

  The FT18 is a miniature scale industrial membrane system. This dual function unit, specifically designed for laboratory scale testing is fully self-contained within a mobile cabinet. The FT18 RO/UF unit utilises a PCI MICRO 240 membrane module which enables the rapid interchange of RO and UF membranes. As the membranes only differ from industrial membranes in scale and length it is possible to optimise operational parameters utilising a small amount of process fluid and subsequently effect a confident transition to full scale. The unit is easily cleaned and maintained. Use this product for: • Concentration/clarification/fractionation and standardisation of milk, whey, juices, alcoholic beverages etc. • Treatment of effluent • Enzymes, antibiotic and organic acids

• Buchi R-220 Industrial Rotary Evaporator

  The R-220 rotary evaporator is designed for the fast and safe distillation of large amounts of solvent. This is facilitated by a continuous distillation process in which the evaporating and receiving flasks are automatically filled and emptied. The process is particularly suitable for solvent recycling and concentration. This robust instrument has a small footprint making it ideal or use in industrial and laboratory environments. The modular design permits flexible and customisable use. This robust instrument has a small footprint making it ideal or use in industrial and laboratory environments. The modular design permits flexible and customisable use.

• METROHM Ion-exchange chromatography

  Allows the separation of ions and polar molecules based on the charge properties of the molecules. It can be used for almost any kind of charged molecule including large proteins, small nucleotides and amino acids. The Personal IC 790 is a PC-controlled system for ion chromatographic analyses. The extremely compact housing of the 790 Personal IC contains everything needed to carry out ion chromatography at a high quality level: • Injection valve – for individual injections or for use with a sample changer such as the Metrohm 766 IC Sample Processor • High-pressure pump – extremely low-pulsation double piston pump with a flow range from 0.2-2.5 mL/min and a maximum pressure of 25 MPa (250 bar) • Column chamber – the perfect insulation of the housing provides not only thermally stable conditions for the separation column but also shields the system against electromagnetic interference • Columns – whether anion columns with or without suppression, separation columns for cations or organic acids – the 790 Personal IC can accommodate them all • Suppressor – the Metrohm Suppressor Module (MSM) is already integrated in the Personal IC – pressure-resistant, with fully automatic regeneration, highest performance and optimal reproducibility • Peristaltic pump – integrated two-channel peristaltic pump with a flow rate of 0.5 -0.6 mL/min for regeneration and rinsing of the suppressor module built into the Personal IC • Detector – conductivity detector with outstanding temperature stability. The detector temperature of 40 °C varies by less than 0.01°C. All components which come into contact with eluent and sample are metal-free.

• Flow Cytometer

  The flow cytometer measures properties, including light scatter and fluorescence, of microscopic objects, such as cells, as they move in liquid suspension through a laser beam. The Beckman Coulter Cell Lab QUANTA™ SC MPL flow cytometer enables analysis of cells in microtitre plate and micro-tube format, with 3-color, coulter volume and side scatter analysis with the 488nm laser and Arc lamp. With its multi-platform loader and autosetup capability, sample cups, micro centrifuge tubes and 24-, 96- or 384-well plates can be used. The flow cytometer is used in an array of applications in a number of fields, including cell biology (apoptosis, cell cycle, cell surface markers, cell viability, fluorescent proteins), medicine (transplantation, hematology, tumor immunology, chemotherapy, genetics) as well as applications in marine and plant biology.

• Controlled rate freezer

  The KRYO 560-16 is a controlled rate freezer used for the controlled freezing of biological material. It provides cryopreservation of many cells types, including bone marrow, stem cells, skin, cord blood, and other important high volume samples in ampoule, sample bag and straw format. The -180ºC to +40ºC temperature range allows for a variety of applications and offers user-defined cooling rates of -0.01ºC/min to -50ºC/min with multiple protocols. The -180ºC end temperature provides sample integrity when transferring a sample for long term storage and has many uses in cell research in creating inventories of cryopreserved valuable material.

• Phenotype Microarray™ system

  The Phenotype Microarray™ OmniLog® is an integrated system of cellular assays, instrumentation, and bioinformatic software for high-throughput screening of bacterial, fungal and mammalian cells. The system enables one to identify over 1900 species of bacteria and fungi using carbon sources as a metabolic fingerprint and has many applications in analysing microbial communities and characterising microbes. The OmniLog® has applications in mammalian cell research by enabling thousands of mammalian cellular phenotypes to be identified and is widely used in cell-based assays including testing cells under diverse growth conditions as well as measuring the effects of genetic changes and drugs on cells in culture. The OmniLog® is a fully automated system and operates by employing cell respiration as a universal reporter, in which a tetrazolium dye is reduced by cellular metabolic processes to form a detectable colour change over time. The colour change is recorded as a digital image several times each hour and stored and displayed in the form of kinetic graphs. The OmniLog® can monitor, either directly or indirectly, most known aspects of cell function.

• Silverson Industrial Sherrer

  Model: L4R What it does: With the addition of water, it blends material into a slurry-like solution of uniform particle size; rpm range min-max? How it can be used: It can be used to disrupt tough material structure to facilitate use in experiments and increases accesses to cellular structure for example by enzymes.