Laboratories
Kobor Lab
The Kobor Lab, led by Dr. Michael Kobor at the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, investigates the intricate mechanisms of epigenetic regulation—how chemical modifications to DNA and associated proteins influence gene activity without altering the genetic code itself. Their research aims to understand how environmental factors and early-life experiences can affect gene expression, thereby influencing health and disease throughout an individual’s life.
Contact Information:
Director: Michael Steffen Kobor, PhD
Research Manager: Tanya Erb
BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute
950 West 28th Avenue, Vancouver, British Columbia, V5Z 4H4, Canada.
Endocrine Technologies Core
The Endocrine Technologies Core (ETC) at the Oregon National Primate Research Center provides specialized endocrine assay services to support a broad range of research, with an emphasis on nonhuman primates. For over 40 years, ETC has offered expertise in hormone analysis to academic, clinical, zoological, and industry partners.
Using advanced platforms—including immunoassays, multiplex bead-based assays, and LC-MS/MS—the ETC delivers high-quality measurement of steroid and protein hormones involved in reproduction, metabolism, and the nervous system. In addition to routine testing, the Core develops and validates custom assays to meet unique research needs.
Contact Information:
Director: Dr. David Erikson
External users must contact Dr. David Erikson, ETC Director erikson@ohsu.edu, 503-346-5078 before initiation of services.
Lab Contact for ETC assay request and sample shipment: endoreq@ohsu.edu, 503-346-5066
Sample Shipping Address:
Dr. David Erikson
Oregon National Primate Research Center (ONPRC)
Endocrine Technologies Core
505 NW 185th Avenue
Beaverton, OR 97006
The Aging Biology & Behavior Lab
The Aging Biology & Behavior (ABB) Laboratory, led by Dr. Judith E. Carroll at UCLA’s Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology, focuses on understanding the biological aging process and how behavioral factors may influence accelerated aging. Additionally, in collaboration with the UCLA Social Genomics Core Laboratory, the ABB Lab applies bioinformatics approaches to gene expression data to infer transcription factor activity related to aging pathways.
Contact Information:
Principle Investigator: Judith Carroll, PhD
Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA
760 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90095
University of Washington Department of Medicine Immunology
Immunology Division, Department of Laboratory Medicine
The Clinical Immunology Laboratory at the University of Washington offers a wide range of assays to aid in the diagnosis, management, and monitoring of problems associated with immunological disorders.
Contact Information:
Supervisor: (Interim Manager) Carol Home
Clinical Immunology Director: Mark H. Wener, MD
Clinical Laboratories
University of Washington Medical Center
1959 NE Pacific Street, Room NW220
Seattle, WA 98195
Tel: 206.598.6149 Laboratory (regular hours)
Tel: 206.520.4600 Reference Laboratory Services (supplies, courier service, shipping information, inquiries after hours)
Laboratory for Human Biology Research
Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University
This lab specializes in immunoassay analysis of human blood, saliva, and urine, with a particular focus on dried blood spot (DBS) specimens. The lab is equipped with state-of-the-art technologies designed to enhance the precision and efficiency of biomarker analysis, making it a leader in its field. The laboratory has performed assays for large studies, including NSHAP, but does not regularly provide laboratory services to large studies.
Contact Information:
Director: Thomas McDade, PhD
Lab Manager: Aaron Miller
Salimetrics
Salimetrics is a biotechnology company specializing in salivary bioscience, offering innovative products and services for saliva testing and collection. Founded in 1998, the company provides high-quality salivary assay kits and operates a CLIA-certified laboratory for saliva analysis. Salimetrics supports researchers and clinical laboratories by delivering accurate and reproducible results, advancing the field of salivary bioscience.
Contact Information:
Phone: (800) 790-2258
support@salimetrics.com
Institute for Interdisciplinary Salivary Bioscience Research
The Institute for Interdisciplinary Salivary Bioscience Research serves as a scientific hub for research, training, and shared resources regarding the biobehavioral processes underlying health and disease with a focus on the use and development of salivary, blood-based, and other related biomarkers.
Contact Information:
Institute for Interdisciplinary Salivary
Bioscience Research (IISBR)
UC Irvine
210 Social Ecology I, Room 126
Irvine, CA 92697
iisbr@uci.edu
Telephone: 949-824-1586
The Advanced Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (ARDL)
ARDL is a CLIA- and CAP-accredited core lab offering high-throughput immunoassay testing, mass spectrometry-based proteomics, and biorepository services. Housed in a 19,000 sq ft facility, it supports clinical trials and translational research with expertise in assay development, sample processing, and long-term storage. ARDL has contributed to major studies like GRADE and SeroNet and serves as a trusted partner for large-scale, high-quality biomarker analysis.
Contact Information:
Professor and Director: Bharat Thyagarajan, MD, PhD, MPH
Dept. of Laboratory Medicine & Pathology
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Tel. 612-624-1257
Fax. 612-624-8950
Email: thya0003@umn.edu
ARDL Business Management and Development:Robert Janicek, MT(ASCP), CLS (NCA)
University of Minnesota Advanced Research and Diagnostic Laboratory
1200 Washington Avenue South
Email: jani0007@umn.edu
Telephone:612-625-4448
Case Studies
Project-specific strategic consulting, technical support, and assay services. The ERRSC has provided strategic consulting on biomarker selection and study design, technical support for sample collection and storage, biomarker laboratory assay services (data generation), and guidance in the statistical analysis and biological and social/demographic interpretation of biomarker data for >390 research projects since 2010, and has processed >60,000 biological specimens (e.g., DNA, RNA, and plasma protein analytes such as cytokines and metabolic markers). In each of the project-specific consulting examples below, the USC-UCLA CBPH ERRSC provided services to NIA-funded research projects and PI teams from outside of USC and UCLA, and all of these client projects will ultimately release data publicly to the broad scientific community, making the Core’s contributions field-wide in both direct consulting service and subsequent data dissemination to the entire field.
Notable recent examples for major population health research programs include:
- The Health and Retirement Study (HRS) The Biomarker subcore assisted over the course of 6 months in the validation, optimization, and harmonization of HRS RNA sequencing data with gold standard reference data (e.g., RT-PCR and sequencing data from previous studies), identifying aberrations in initial HRS data profiles in comparison to established reference data, analyzing the HRS data production pipeline from blood sampling through sequence data production and gene transcript quantification, and ultimately resolving issues in the RNAseq read-mapping algorithm to resolve inconsistencies and ready HRS RNA data for public release as a key field-wide data resource for molecular analyses of population health and aging research. Cole also mentored new population health investigators in the integration of HRS RNA data into impactful new grant applications.
- The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) The Biomarker subcore responded to inquiries from Add Health PI’s and ultimately consulted with them for more than 2 years in the substantive conceptualization and operational planning to incorporate genome-wide RNA profiling into the study’s Wave V data collection cycle. Based on that strategic planning, Biomarker sub-core PI Cole collaborated with Add Health PI’s on the development and acquisition of NIH R01 funding to support blood sample collection and primary substantive analyses, which ultimately resulted in the first genome-wide transcriptome data in any population health research study (PMC7060722). In addition to Cole’s key role in the conceptualization, planning, oversight, analysis, and resulting Add Health RNA publications, the Biomarker subcore also provided all wet lab technical services for this project including RNA extraction from collected blood samples, input sample normalization and quality control assays, RNA sequencing services, and post-assay data processing (e.g., read mapping and transcript quantification) and quality assurance analyses. Following the completion of this highly successful incorporation of genome-wide RNA analyses into Add Health, Cole subsequently collaborated with Add Health PIs in mentoring new investigators in the creative and impactful use of those measures in additional population health analyses.
- The Study of Midlife in the US (MIDUS) The Biomarker subcore responded to MIDUS PI inquiries and consulted for more than a year in the substantive conceptualization and operational planning to incorporate genome-wide RNA profiling into the study’s NIA U19-funded Wave 3 data collection cycle, and now extending to Wave 4, resulting in the first longitudinal RNA profiling dataset in population health science. Biomarker sub-core PI Cole now serves as Co-Director of the MIDUS Genomics Project, and the Biomarker subcore laboratory facility provided all wet lab technical services for this project including RNA extraction from biobanked blood samples, input sample normalization and quality control assays, RNA sequencing services, and post-assay data processing (e.g., read mapping, transcript quantification) and quality assurance analyses. Cole also oversees the assay and data processing of DNA methylation (DNAm) data from MIDUS whole blood samples, including the computation, validation, and distribution of “epigenetic clock” data (e.g., DNAmAge, GrimAge/GrimAge2, Dunedin PACE, etc.). Cole has also mentored new investigators in the creative and impactful use of those measures in additional population health analyses.
- The Study of Tsunami Aftermath and Recovery (STAR) The Biomarker subcore responded to STAR PI inquiries regarding the feasibility of conducting RNA analyses of DBS samples in a developing nation field setting. A major challenge in STAR biomarker efforts involves biosample export restrictions in Indonesia (site of the 2004 Sumatran-Andaman earthquake and tsunami that serves as the context for this project) which prevent the production of biomarker data from US laboratory infrastructure. To facilitate population health research in this field setting, Biomarker subcore Director Cole consulted with STAR in the evaluation of multiple strategies for generating RNA and protein biomarker data in Indonesia, and ultimately selected the option of developing a study-specific field laboratory with specialized analytic equipment and laboratory infrastructure to maximize output from the personnel-rich/infrastructure-limited context. Core Director Cole and laboratory staff guided the selection of easily portable and robust PCR thermal cycling systems for RT-PCR analysis of targeted gene transcripts (e.g. the ChaiBio RT-PCR system), trained the PIs and STAR staff on the operation and interpretation of RT-PCR data, assisted in the selection of specific RNA targets for analysis (e.g., ) and related selection and validation of appropriate assay reagents (e.g., TaqMan probe-based gene expression assays), and provided in-laboratory training of STAR staff who subsequently relayed that expertise to field staff in Indonesia. The Core has also conducted a series of technical validation studies using calibrated samples to verify the quantitative precision of the portable ChaiBio RT-PCR system, to verify the accurate performance of specific TaqMan RT-PCR gene expression assay reagents (rejecting some primer/probe sets that failed to generate reliable data), and periodically consult with field staff by videoconference to troubleshoot aberrant data and other technical and analytic challenges. Absent the Biomarker sub-core’s strategic consulting, technical innovations, and dedicated project-specific training, RNA biomarker assays would have been infeasible in STAR.