Core Vision Research
The Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Pittsburgh has long held a prestigious competitive Core Facility grant award from the National Eye Institute. This funding has supported our vision researchers with specialized expertise and equipment for over two decades and contributes substantially to the Department’s reputation as a world-class leader in vision research.
The Core has six modules offering expertise and access to resources for different areas of research needs:
(1) Histology, Imaging, and Analysis (HIA) module
(2) Virus Production and Manipulation of Protein/Gene Expression (VPMP)
(3) hIPSC-Reprogramming and Cell Culture (hIPSC-CC) module
(4) Systems Biology (SB) module
(5) In Vivo Testing and Instrumentation (IVTI) module
(6) Analytics, Biostatistics, and Machine Learning (ABML) module
Each module is staffed by a full-time dedicated research specialist, called the Module Supervisor, and it is overseen by a faculty-level Module Director. The Core is available to all eligible Participating Investigators. A researcher qualifies as a Participating Investigator if they work at the University of Pittsburgh and are studying vision research. Others may utilize the Core's services only if they partner in a collaboration with a qualifying Participating Investigator who contributes funding, not merely consultation or advisory support.
The HIA module provides state-of-the-art equipment, facilities, and technical support for highly sophisticated sample handling from acquisition and preparation to imaging and analysis.
The VPMP module is designed to help faculty in the preparation and purification of viruses for use in research and in the modulation of protein expression by silencing or gene editing and delivery.
The hIPSC-CC module provides vision researchers with facilities and expert consultancy of high-throughput and high-content screening and reprogramming of human induced pluripotent stem cells, facilitating unbiased drug or target screening at a large scale
The SB module provides access to advanced equipment and scientific expertise to carry out experiments from the collection of tissue or cells, cell characterization by flow cytometry, enrichment by flow sorting, and droplet-based analysis of gene expression or epigenetic regulation.
The IVTI module provides both early-stage and more established investigators with the equipment, training, and resources to evaluate visual system structure and function with both conventional and customized instrumentation.
The ABML module connects researchers generating data with module personnel who are experts in biostatistics, statistical modeling, machine learning, and deep learning methodologies.