UT supports multiple user facilities across campus that are used to advance biologics research.
The Center for Biomedical Research Support (CBRS) provides access to the newest instrumentation, expert advice, and educational training to enhance research across the UT campus. CBRS administers seven different core facilities of importance to biologics development, including biological mass spectrometry (proteomics), biomedical imaging, computational biology and bioinformatics, cryo-electron microscopy, genomics, microscopy and flow cytometry, and transgenics. The facilities are available for use by UT system personnel, external academic personnel, and corporate users.
Animal Resources Center (ARC) oversees the care and use of vertebrate animals utilized as part of the research activities at UT, such as for in vivo studies of therapeutic agents. In 2018, ARC opened its fourth animal facility in the Health Discovery Building at Dell Medical School, which includes rodent behavioral suites and a small animal imaging suite.
The Sauer Structural Biology Laboratory is UT’s state-of-the-art cryo-electron microscopy and cryo-electron tomography facility. With these resources, UT researchers are able to image macromolecules at atomic or near atomic resolution. The facility also contains all of the accessory equipment required for high-resolution structure determination, which was used to determine the structure of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. A recent gift from Tito’s Handmade Vodka allowed UT to upgrade capabilities and support maintenance and operation of the laboratory.
The Texas Materials Institute (TMI) was established in 1998 to ensure that UT achieves excellence in graduate education and research in the broad field of materials. TMI offers the use of over 100 instruments and pieces of equipment to both internal UT users and corporate and external users. Biomaterials is one of the institute’s core research themes.
The Sauer Structural Biology Laboratory
As Cryo-EM Capabilities Expand, Cool Science at UT Gets a Boost