The Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Initiative (IHSI) and Carle have built a partnership that is fostering and supporting pre-clinical and clinical research via the Biomedical Research Center. The BRC, which is located on the 3rd floor of the Mills Breast Cancer Institute at Carle, unites the clinical resources of Carle with the scientific resources of the University of Illinois to create a laboratory setting where cutting edge medical research is being conducted.
The BRC includes over 17,000 square feet of Biosafety Level 2 laboratory space with modular benchtops that can be customized to the unique specifications of a particular research group.
Tor Jensen, director of the BRC, said the space provides researchers and clinicians the ability to work in close proximity with one another to solve real-world challenges.
“It is exciting to see the range of work that is being done in the BRC,” Jensen said. “From acoustic medical therapies for cancer treatment to microfluidic biomarkers in a sepsis project, the research being conducted at the BRC is yielding new discoveries that are only be possible with the industry and academic partnership that is the cornerstone of the BRC.”
In addition to state-of-the-art lab space, the BRC provides cell culture, microscopy, and Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorting (FACS) in the facility. The BRC’s tissue procurement services provides clinical samples for advanced research and can provide prep-to-research support for clinical samples. The knowledgeable BRC staff is also available to assist with biosafety and project registration paperwork, protocol, and IRB concerns.
For more information about the BRC, contact the Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Initiative at healthinitiative@illinois.edu.