UCSD Human Stem Cell Core Facility

Resources of the HESCCF

The Human Embryonic Stem Cell Core Facility comprises more than 3,000 square feet, with resources for complete cell culture, anaylsis, and imaging.  The Facility houses a cell culture room, lab benches, a microscope room, and an equipment room. The cell culture room is outfitted with three bio-safety cabinets (one that can be used for work with infectious agents, such as lenti vectors), eight CO2 incubators and an inverted microscope. The microscope room is equipped with a Zeiss upright fluorescence microscope and a fully incubated inverted confocal Olympus microscope for live imaging. In addition, we have robotics for the high throughput manipulation of cells, such as a liquid handling robot (Hamilton Star), a multimode plate reader (PE Envision) and an automated microscope (Cellomics). The lab has equipment for conducting molecular biology experiments, including centrifuges, a PCR machine, gel electrophoresis supplies, and incubators for bacterial growth. In addition, -80°C and -150°C freezers are available for storage of cell lines and other sensitive materials.

Equipment List
Cell culture:      

a. The lab is equipped with three bio-safety cabinets and 8 CO2 incubators for the manipulation and growth of hESCs

b. Upright Zeiss fluorescence microscope for routine immuno-fluorescence analysis

c. Olympus FV1000 confocal microscope with an environmental control chamber for long real time imaging

d. Cellomics automated microscope for high content analysis of cells

e. Inverted Zeiss fluorescence microscope for routine assessment of cell morphology and expression of fluorescent marker proteins

f. Leica dissecting scope housed in an ESCO Clean Work Bench for manual dissociation of hESC colonies

Screening equipment:

g. Hamilton Star liquid handling robot for feeding and passaging cells

h. Perkin Elmer Envision Multimode Plate Reader for fluorescene and bioluminescence detection

i. Cellomics automated microscope for high content analysis of cells

General lab equipment:

j. Centrifuges (two microcentrifuges, one table top swinging bucket centrifuge for pelleting cells, and a floor high speed centrifuge for pelleting lentiviral supernatants),

k. PCR machine, gel imaging system, incubated shaker, and other small equipment for general molecular and biochemical studies,

Storage:

l. The lab has a walk-in cold room, a 4°C deli fridge, a regular refrigerator, two –20°C freezers, and –80°C and –150°C freezers for storage of temperature sensitive reagents

Human embryonic stem cell lines

The facility has acquired several human embryonic stem cells, including the NIH Stem Cell Registry UC01, UC06, WA09 and more recently derived lines from Dr. D. Melton’s laboratory HUES-1, 3, 4, and 9. We have expanded, banked and characterized these cells to ensure that they are euploid, are in an undifferentiated state, and have retained the ability to differentiate into all three major germ layers, endo-, ecto-, and mesoderm.

Technical support

Karl Willert, Director
Thomas Fellner, Assistant Director
Zoë Vomberg, SRA I

Contact Information

Director
Karl Willert, Ph.D.
kwillert 'at' ucsd.edu
Tel: 858-822-3235

Assistant Director
Thomas Fellner, Ph.D.
tfellner 'at' ucsd.edu
Tel: 858-822-3244

Technical Information
Zoë Vomberg
zvomberg 'at' ucsd.edu
Tel: 858-822-3244

Administrative Information
Jennifer Braswell, Ph.D.
jbraswell 'at' ucsd.edu
Tel: 858-534-2412