Our Services
Blood Processing
Our service includes a team of highly skilled laboratory staff with extensive experience processing blood samples in line with our established protocols as well as trial/study specific protocols provided by research teams. Our services include processing, storage in either -80°C, liquid nitrogen or ambient environments – along with distribution and tracking. Our staff can receive samples directly to the laboratory or collect from John Hunter Hospital and regularly ship samples either through in-house transfers or courier networks.
Standard blood derivatives include:
- Plasma/Serum
- Buffy Coat
- PBMCs
Additional processing/analysis includes:
- DNA/RNA Extraction
- Quantitation using TapeStation or Bioanalyzer
- Flow Cytometry to assess cell viability
Out of scope services
The University Laboratory is embedded within a molecular genetics facility with access to high-end instrumentation used for molecular sub-studies that may be of value to researchers. In addition to next generation sequencing using Illumina platforms, Access arrays (microarrays) and qPCR platforms, the Hunter Cancer Biobank can facilitate access to the HMRI Single Cell Analysis Platform with the following applications:
- Single-Cell Messenger RNA Gene Expression
- Single-Cell microRNA and long non-coding RNA Expression Profiling
- Single-Cell mRNA Sequencing
- Single-Cell Targeted DNA Resequencing
- Single-Cell DNA Sequencing
The established Single Cell Analysis pipeline can take input cells from any source where cell suspensions can be made; this includes blood cells, FACS-sorted populations from tissue or tumours, captured circulating tumour cells (CTCs) and cells from other body fluids.