Research Facilities
The laboratories of the Life Science faculty are located
in four interconnected buildings in the Brandeis Science
Complex. This physical setup, in which labs are separated
by no more than a 3-minute walk, allows easy interactions
among the various research groups. A new science building
is currently under construction.
Brandeis University operates several specialized research
facilities in the Life Sciences as well. The high-resolution
electron microscopy facility houses three electron microscopes
(two of which are equipped for low-dose, high-resolution
cryo-electronmicroscopy), three film scanners for digitizing
electron micrographs, a computer-farm for processing images,
coldstages for the microscopes, fast-freezing apparatuses,
and other ancillary equipment. A 300-kV field emission cryo-electron
microscope, installed in 2005, is now in full operation.
Installation of a modern mass spectrometry facility
was completed in 2005. This facility houses three mass
spectrometers: a 9.4-T FTMS, a MALDI-TOF, and an ion trap
MS. Interfaced to these is an HPLC system and a spotting
robot for in-gel digests.
Two x-ray diffraction facilities for protein crystallography
and one small-molecule diffraction setup are also maintained
in the Science Complex.
The Science Complex buildings house five nuclear magnetic
resonance spectrometers used for chemical analysis,
structure determination, and macromolecular dynamics. A
400 MHz machine (Varian, installed 1997) is used for small-molecule
analysis. A 500 MHz machine (Brucker, installed 1995, reconsoled
1999) is dedicated to protein structure and general biochemical
applications. A second home-built 500 MHz machine is used
primarily for technique development. A 600 MHz instrument
(Varian, installed 1999, cryoprobe installed 2005) is used
for high-resolution structure determination and protein
dynamics. Finally, a 800 MHz spectrometer was installed
in late 2005. These spectrometers employ modern probes for
1H,13C,
and 15N (triple resonance,
field gradients, etc.); probes for special applications
requiring 31P, 35Cl,
and 205Tl are also in
use on these machines.
The following links will provide you with
additional information about the graduate program in Biochemistry:
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