Biomarkers, Cell Culture, and Analysis

Center for Peptide and Protein Engineering

The USC Center for Peptide and Protein Engineering (CPPE) aims to put USC in a position of undisputed leadership in peptide and protein science by creating functional peptides and proteins as imaging agents, diagnostics and therapies. This core laboratory will be housed in the new Michelson Center for Convergent Biosciences and serve the USC Community to generate new peptide and protein tools. New technology advances in several fields now provide the foundation for high-throughput molecular engineering—creating new peptides and antibody-like proteins that bind specific targets on a genomic scale.

Equipment and services include: A la carte and comprehensive peptide synthesis and purification services for the USC and general community. End-to-end production of peptides includes: assistance in peptide design, Fmoc-based solid-phase peptide synthesis, peptide purification, conformation of peptide identity by mass spectrometry, and assessment of purity by reverse-phase HPLC. Peptide synthesis is performed on a Biotage Syro I Multi-Peptide Synthesizer (supported by a grant from the USC Core Instrumentation Fund) at 50 μmol scale up to 20 amino acids. Peptide purification is performed via Biotage reverse-phase flash chromatography and/or reverse-phase HPLC chromatography using Agilent HPLC and LCMS equipment.

2nd floor
USC Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience
MCB 267

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USC Stem Cell

The CIRM Stem Cell Core Facility is a CIRM-funded comprehensive support center that provides knowledge, resources and state-of-the-art technology to researchers working with stem cells. Services include: stem cell and biomedical research and centralized technologies and technical assistance to facilitate pluripotent stem cell research. The facility also offers courses and workshops focused on human pluripotent stem cell culture and research methodologies.

Health Sciences Campus
Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at USC
1425 San Pablo Street, BCC 209
Los Angeles, CA 90033
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Translational Research Laboratory

The core mission of the USC School of Pharmacy Translational Research Laboratory (TRLab), located in 13laboratory spaces of the Pharmaceutical Sciences Center, has been to provide investigators with a state-of-the-art technological platform and technical expertise to advance translational research endeavors in the School of Pharmacy and at USC.

Equipment and services include: The TRLab is equipped with over 80 specialized instruments in the applications of: 1) Sample Processing, 2) Cell and Immunobiology, 3) Flow Cytometry, 4) Imaging, 5) Molecular Analysis, 6) Molecular Biology and 7) RNA/DNA Sequencing.

Health Sciences Campus
Pharmaceutical Sciences Center
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Circulating Tumor Cells Research Core

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are cancer cells shed by solid tumors into the bloodstream. CTCs have recently emerged as valuable prognostic and predictive cancer biomarkers, providing a non-invasive window into disease biology and progression that can be sampled repeatedly over time from a simple blood draw. Moreover, CTC sampling enables real time tracking of cancer plasticity as tumor cells evolve over time and through progressive lines of therapy, thus elucidating mechanisms of cancer dissemination and identifying new therapeutic targets. As such, CTC characterization holds the promise of enabling real-time molecular phenotyping of individual cancer patients’ tumors at diagnosis and throughout treatment, advancing precision medicine in this important and vast patient group. The USC Norris CTC Research Core is a state-of-the-art, multi-platform facility for the capture and analysis of peripheral blood CTCs. The Core employs a variety of technologies that enrich CTCs for enumeration or molecular characterization. Enrichment is done from blood samples drawn by standard venous puncture from patients. In addition, Dr. Goldkorn’s team has developed mouse xenograft research models using labeled CTCs that can be recovered from the mice.

Health Sciences Campus
USC Norris Cancer Center
1450 Biggy Street., NRT6516
Los Angeles, CA 90033
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Chang Stem Cell Engineering Facility

The Chang Stem Cell Engineering Facility genetically modifies embryonic stem (ES) cells and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell lines. Genetically modified ES and iPS cell lines derived from disease-specific animal models and patients provide an opportunity to investigate the mechanisms of disease and to further develop new treatments for clinical therapy.

Services include: genome editing, iPS cell derivation, and ES cell derivation.

Health Sciences Campus
Eli and Edythe Broad CIRM Center
1425 San Pablo Street, BCC 205
Los Angeles, CA 90033
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Bioreagent and Cell Culture Core

The Bioreagent and Cell Culture Core supports cancer related research that requires in vitro experiments, provides reagents for cell culture and prepares bioreagents that are produced by cells grown in the Core. It is one of the longest standing and most widely used shared resources of the Cancer Center.

USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center
1441 Eastlake Ave
NOR5323
Los Angeles CA 90033
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