Facilities and Equipment

The Bio-Imaging Unit operates several sites across the University, and provides a wide range of state-of-the-art microscopy equipment.

Imaging capabilities available in the Facility include: conventional brightfield; phase; DIC and widefield-fluorescence; and confocal microscopy. 

The Bioinformatics Support Unit (BSU) provides data analysis and experimental design services for next-generation sequencing, microarrays, proteomics and more.

The BSU has expertise in a range of areas, including: high-throughput sequence analysis; microarray analysis; proteomics analysis. 

The BioScreening Facility uses state of the art equipment and biological reagents to cater for researchers working with both mammalian and microbial cell-based systems, and enables the rapid identification of novel targets. 

Electron Microscopy Research Services has a range of specialist equipment for imaging specimens from both biological and material sciences.

The primary services available are:

• Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM)
• Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)
• Gatan 3view

The Flow Cytometry Core Facility provides a comprehensive service and houses a large range of high quality equipment, including:

• cell sorters and analysers for performing fluorescence cytometry
• a Helios Cytof Mass Cytometer
• Seahorse XF analyser systems for assessing metabolic activity

The Genomics Core Facility supports and delivers cutting-edge genomics research, designed with single-cell sequencing and medium-scale genomics in mind. The Facility's instrumentation set-up allows for a high level of service flexibility, as it is able to be rapidly shifted between genomic, transcriptomic and epigenomic sample analysis.

We operate an actively shielded high field (4.7 Tesla) vertical bore Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanner (Bruker Biospec 47/60 VAS).

The system can be used for imaging of a range of biological specimens, including functional activation studies of small laboratory animals, complete with full life signs monitoring and full veterinary support (if required, at additional cost), or imaging of post-mortem tissue.

Newcastle University Infectious Diseases Facility provides containment level 3 (CL3) facilities for the safe use and handling of infectious microbiological agents. With two laboratory suites dedicated to the research of HG3 pathogens, the Facility provides the opportunity for scientists to include Hazard Group 3 (HG3) and Specified Animal Pathogen Order Group 3 pathogens in their research.

Newcastle Nanostring is a technician-run service with specialist advice available. 

The NanoString nCounter analysis system is the first and only platform that can deliver direct profiling of individual molecules in a highly multiplexed single reaction without any need for amplification. Critically, NanoString technology is superior to any other current RNA analysis technique for FFPE-derived material.

Newcastle Preclinical In Vivo Imagining (PIVI) is a multidisciplinary research centre providing equipment for Magnetic Resonance, Positron Emission Tomography and Fluorescence/Bioluminescence imaging. The Facility provides a range of services and training, from experimental design and data acquisition, to data analysis. 

Newcastle University's Protein and Proteomics Facility provides a range of services including: identifying single proteins and proteins in complex protein mixtures; characterising proteins; finding post-translational modifications; quantifying proteins.

The latest addition to this Facility is the Protein Production Unit, adding further expertise and equipment in the production and characterisation of recombinant proteins in prokaryotic host organisms. 

Newcastle University's School of Pharmacy has bespoke laboratories and experienced technical staff, with a wide range of facilities and equipment covering material processing, pharmaceutics and analytical services.

Spatial Transcriptomics is a powerful technology. It allows analysis of the whole transcriptome within a positional context. This enables visualisations of sequencing data directly on a tissue histology section.

Expertise at every stage

The method for this service straddles several disciplines. At Newcastle University we combine the expertise from each of these disciplines to provide the SpaRTAN service. This stands for Spatially Resolved Transcriptomics At Newcastle.

We use Visium technology from 10X Genomics. We take your tissue samples through the entire Visium process to deliver your results in an easy to interpret and visualise form. We can also make human developmental material available for the process.

The combination of four specialist services at Newcastle University enable this service:

• Human Developmental Biology Resource
• Bio-Imaging Unit
• Genomics Core Facility
• Bioinformatics Support Unit

Get in touch

To find out more about our service please contact spartan@ncl.ac.uk.

Newcastle Advanced Therapies is an integral part of the Pharmacy Directorate of the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. We work in partnership with Newcastle University to provide a comprehensive service in processing, storage, development and manufacture of advanced therapy products. We support translational research and clinical service of cell, gene and tissue therapies to treat a range of patients.

Newcastle Biobanks store a wide range of samples for use in medical research, which are derived from a range of disease areas, including: cancer; mitochondrial disease; orthopaedics; neurodegenerative disease. 

Biobank staff also offer a wide range of services and facilities to support researchers with their work.

The Biomarker Assay Service is regularly involved in clinical ageing research. Services include: handling of blood samples; generation of suitable conditioned material aliquots for further analysis; analysis of white blood cells; DNA damage and repair capability; telomere length measurements by qPCR and ApoE genotyping.

The Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Trials Research Centre carries out all phases of cancer trials, coordinates North of England Cancer Network studies, and is an integral part of the Newcastle Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre.

Based in the regional Northern Centre for Cancer Care at the Freeman Hospital, the Centre is a designated unit for the administration of first in human experimental cancer drugs. The staff are highly experienced in the regulatory submission and running of clinical trials, and a dedicated clinical trials pharmacy ensures safe handling and monitoring of experimental agents.

The Clinical Ageing Research Unit (CARU) facilitates the development of early assessment and intervention strategies targeted at age-associated degenerative conditions. CARU provides a ‘one stop shop’ for investigators planning, designing, conducting and analysing trials and other high quality clinical research studies.

The Clinical Research Facility (CRF) is a collaboration between Newcastle University and Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The CRF's highly-trained staff are capable of setting up, negotiating and delivering all phases of clinical trials in accordance with Good Clinical Practice Standards.

The Newcastle Clinical Trials Unit has a vision to facilitate world class clinical trials that impact understanding of human disease and lead to improved diagnostics and therapeutics for patient benefit. The NCTU works in partnership with investigators across all disease types, phases of research and methodologies in order to deliver high quality research. 

Colour Vision Testing Services provide assessment and classification of colour vision deficiencies, using a comprehensive battery of both standardised and more sophisticated tests initially developed for research purposes. 

The School of Dental Sciences offers the full range of facilities of a dedicated clinical research environment, comprising four fully-equipped dental surgeries. It has a full range of clinical dental research capabilities, including: restorative dentistry; endodontics; periodontics; implant research; dental materials research; paediatric dentistry. 

Electroencephalography (EEG) is a simple, painless, non-invasive technique that measures brain activity from small recording electrodes placed on the scalp either individually or by means of specially designed electrode caps. 

As a research tool, EEG is very helpful in identifying interactions between different cortical brain areas and as a diagnostic tool it can be used to detect abnormal brain activity.

The Human Developmental Biology Resource (HDBR) is an ongoing collection of human embryonic and fetal material ranging from 3 to 20 weeks of development. 

Tissue, slides, RNA/DNA and tissue arrays are available to the international scientific community.

The Newcastle Magnetic Resonance Centre aims to develop and apply novel, non-invasive magnetic resonance methodology to solve important problems of human health.

The Centre is equipped with two high field strength magnetic resonance scanners, and has full facilities throughout for clinical MR research and associated technical developments. 

The Muscle Performance and Exercise Training Laboratory is one of the only clinically qualified research laboratories for the evaluation of muscle performance, physical fitness and physical activity in the UK.

The facility combines state-of-the-art measurement equipment for physical fitness, cardiac function, muscle strength, and body composition, alongside the physical activity and exercise intervention delivery team.

Research projects are currently running with the help of volunteers diagnosed with diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Lewy Body dementia and Stroke helps us to discover what brain changes take place during the course of the disease and increases our overall understanding.

Studies using human brain tissue are essential in increasing our understanding of brain ageing and related diseases and are the best way for us to search for more effective diagnoses and treatments.

Contact the Newcastle Brain Tissue Resource by email nbtr@newcastle.ac.uk

Phone: 0191 208 1231 (24 hour donation line 0191 208 1345)

The School of Dental Sciences offers a range of research laboratories, which support research in translational oral biosciences.

The Centre comprises a number of individual Facilities:

• Dental Clinical Materials Facility
• Cell and Molecular Biosciences Laboratory
• Biomaterials Laboratory
• Electrophysiology Laboratory

The Newcastle Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Centre is equipped with the latest generation of PET-MR scanners and a PET-CT scanner which provide excellent quality imaging. In both imaging suites there are additional features required for radiotherapy planning, injection of contrast agents and for respiratory gating.