Immunology Laboratory Services

Immunology Core Services

The CFAR Immunology Core provides sophisticated immunology assays and expert consultation to the HIV research community, develops specialized immunology research tools, and initiates and stimulates innovative research projects that address emerging questions in HIV research. Contact Director Jeffrey Milush to discuss your project.

Laboratory Services

Immunology Core services are provided in response to the needs of CFAR investigators and in response to the CFAR scientific themes. Current services include:

  • Isolation of PBMC for staining, cell sorting, or viable cryopreservation
  • Isolation of mucosal mononuclear cells (MMC) from mucosal tissue biopsies
  • Immunomagnetic bead isolation of untouched cell populations for functional studies
  • Immunophenotyping of whole blood, PBMC, MMC and cerebrospinal fluid for: NK, B and T cells percentages, and their subsets, including maturation, trafficking, senescence, activation, in vivo proliferation and chemokine receptor expression
  • Flow cytometric functional assays, including NK cell function, antigen-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cell cytokine expression, degranulation and proliferation
  • Evaluation of T cell signaling by phosflow using monoclonal antibodies specific for phosphorylated proteins
  • Data management and storage in RunDMS

Flow Cytometry Core

Additional services are available through the GIVI Flow Core, which offers state-of-the-art instrumentation for use by laboratory-based researchers and, in collaboration with the Immunology Core, for use by clinical researchers. Flow Core services include:

  • DNA analysis with standard dyes
  • Analysis of CFP, GFP, YFP, mRFP, mTomato, and mCherry gene expression proteins
  • Calcium flux measurements using Indo-1
  • Data archiving and storage on high-end Apple X Serve
  • Access to two, 17-color BD LSR II analytical instruments
  • Training of users (instruments and analysis)
  • Maintaining and Upgrading Instruments
  • Research Support Services (Study Design, Assay Selection, Grant and paper writing support)
  • Access to a 17-color BD FACSAria II for cell sorting

The Flow Core provides additional instrumentation at UCSF Mission Bay that includes an additional LSR II and a BD FACS AriaII cell sorter. These instruments serve UCSF CFAR investigators located at Mission Bay and in the Gladstone Institutes. The combined services of the 2 Cores provide a cell sorting service to CFAR and other translational researchers.