Facilities and Platforms

The Advanced Flow FFF service specialises in the characterisation and separation of particles according to their size and charge, using techniques based on electrophoretic mobility. It also enables the determination of the zeta potential of analytes, which is essential for research into new functional biomaterials and for the development of nanomedicine platforms aimed at innovative therapies.

This infrastructure is part of the EATRIS‑EU network and, although it is currently used mainly for internal research, it is expected to offer external services in the near future.

CiMUS has its own dedicated kitchen equipped for the cleaning and sterilisation of materials, providing service to the entire building. In addition, this unit prepares various solutions and routinely used buffers on request from the researchers.

The facility includes the following equipment:

• Two STERIVAP 669 1ED autoclaves (BMT).
• A LSIK B2V/VC 404 oven (Venticell) for material drying and dry sterilisation.
• A G 7883 CD washer disinfector (Miele Professional).

The Biosafety and Cell Culture area includes all the facilities required for handling human and animal cell cultures up to biosafety level 2 (BS2). All rooms are equipped with essential material for the maintenance and proliferation of both primary cultures and stabilised cell lines. Available equipment includes more than 30 biosafety cabinets, 50 CO₂ incubators, inverted microscopes and automated cell counters distributed across all rooms.

The infrastructure is organised into 11 culture rooms, each adapted to different experimental requirements:

• Seven general work rooms, intended for cell lines with standard needs.
• One room for special cultures, suitable for handling iPS cells, lentiviruses and other procedures requiring specific conditions.
• A high throughput cell culture laboratory designed to meet the demands of the drug screening platform.
• A P2 biosafety room equipped for working with biological materials requiring advanced containment measures.
• A room dedicated to the culture of primary cells, with defined areas for working with human and animal samples (rat and mouse). 

The CiMUS Ultracentrifugation Unit forms part of the centre’s general services and provides researchers with access to a comprehensive range of high‑performance centrifugation equipment. The unit includes:

• Two Beckman Coulter high‑speed centrifuges, Avanti J‑26 XPI (equipped with JA‑10 and JA‑17 rotors) and Avanti JXN‑26 (equipped with JA‑9.1000, JA‑10, JA‑17 and JA‑20 rotors).
• Two Beckman Coulter ultracentrifuges, the Optima L‑100 XP and Optima XPN‑100, fitted with a wide range of fixed‑angle and swinging‑bucket rotors (Type 45 Ti, Type 70 Ti, Type 100 Ti, SW 32 Ti, SW 40 Ti, SW 55 Ti and SW 60 Ti).
• A Coulter MAX‑XP benchtop ultracentrifuge, equipped with TLA‑120.1 and TLA‑100.3 rotors. 

Together, this equipment enables the efficient processing of samples across diverse research applications, ensuring robust support for CiMUS scientific activity.

The clean room type ISO 7 with positive pressure is dedicated to the preparation of samples for proteomics and protein processing. A clean room environment is very important in proteomics because it prevents sample contamination with keratins (from hair, dust, skin), which would negatively influence the analysis decreasing its efficiency.

The clean room is equipped with all the necessary equipment for protein isolation and separation including centrifuges, sonicator, spectrophotometers, shakers, transilluminators, 1D and 2-D gel electrophoresis equipment, etc. Two dimensional-differential in-gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE) analyses can also be done.

CiMUS has three shared use laboratories designed to provide technical infrastructure to researchers from different disciplines. These spaces are located in the building’s common areas and are directly supervised by the CiMUS technical team. All of them contain frequently used standard equipment, such as chemical fume hoods, tissue homogenisers, NanoDrop spectrophotometers, precision balances, water baths, centrifuges, rocking platforms, dry block heaters, thermomixers, incubators, ovens, water purification systems and UV tip cleaners, among others.

In addition, the general facilities at CiMUS make a wide range of highly specialised and relevant equipment available to researchers:

• Seahorse XFp and Seahorse XFe96 extracellular flux analysers (Agilent).
• Western blot imagers ImageQuant 800 (Amersham), ChemiDoc MP (Bio Rad) and Odyssey (LI COR Biosciences).
• Multimodal reader with automated microscopy module Cytation 5 (Agilent).
• Mithras LB940 multimodal reader (Berthold).
• Logphase 600 microbiology reader (Biotek).
• StepOne Plus and QuantStudio 5 real time PCR systems (Applied Biosystems).
• QuantStudio Absolute Q digital PCR system (Thermo Fisher).
• Meso Sector 600 MM chemiluminescence detector (Meso Scale Discovery).
• Quanterix SR X (Simoa) biomarker detector.

This service provides storage and maintenance of liquid nitrogen tanks for the research groups in the building.

The FARMAXEN service provides pharmacogenetic analyses to meet the needs of the pharmaceutical industry and research centres. Its portfolio includes assays based on recommendations from regulatory agencies such as the EMA and FDA, as well as ad hoc pharmacogenetic services tailored to specific requirements.

The unit currently has four cytometers, including:

• CytoFLEX S (Beckman Coulter), equipped with 4 lasers (405 nm, 488 nm, 561 nm and 644 nm), 15 detectors and 13 colours, using a repositionable filter set including configurations such as 450/45, 525/40 (×2), 585/42, 610/20 (×2), 660/10 (×2), 690/50 (×2), 712/25 and 780/60 (×2). It supports Eppendorf tubes, 5 mL tubes (12 × 75 mm) and 96 well plates.
• CytoFLEX SRT sorter, with 4 lasers (405 nm, 488 nm, 561 nm and 644 nm), 17 detectors and 15 colours, using the same repositionable filter set. Its sorting function enables single cell separation in multiple formats, including 384 well plates.

This facility has a library of more than two hundred antibodies dedicated to tissue immunostaining. The technical team also offers training and advice on experimental protocols, sample preparation, sectioning, immunostaining, image acquisition and data analysis.

In addition to chemical fume hoods, microscopes, water baths and other basic equipment, the laboratory includes the following specialised instruments:

• Two TP1020 automatic tissue processors (Leica) for paraffin embedding.
• An EG1150H + EG1150C workstation (Leica) for paraffin block preparation.
• A HM525 NX cryostat (Epredia) for obtaining frozen sections and antigen retrieval for immunohistochemistry using the PT Link system.
• A HM355S microtome (Epredia) and ARM3700 automated microtome (Histo Line). 

This facility aims to provide a wide range of imaging systems, together with the necessary technical support, to serve numerous groups that do not have this equipment in their own laboratories. In total, the service includes 14 imaging systems covering technologies such as FRET, confocal microscopy, time lapse microscopy, immunofluorescence microscopy with 3D clearing techniques and laser nanosurgery.

Among the most advanced equipment available are:

• Lightsheet WA 101028 (Labvision Biotech) and Lightsheet Blaze (Miltenyi) microscopes for 3D imaging of biological samples.
• DMI6000B–CS widefield microscope (Leica), optimal for time lapse acquisition.
• DM4B microscope (Leica) with Thunder opto-computational technology, enabling high contrast pseudo confocal images in thick or 3D samples by removing out of focus noise.
• IX73 fluorescence microscope (Olympus) with cellSens software, incorporating advanced deep learning analysis modules to improve detection, quantification and segmentation of cellular structures in both fluorescence and transmitted light.
• MATEO FL (Leica) microscope, combining brightfield, phase contrast and fluorescence imaging. It includes LWD plan achromatic objectives (4X/0.10 PH0; 10X/0.22 PH1; 20X/0.30 PH1; 40X/0.50 PH1), DAPI, GFP and DsRed filters, and software for confluence measurement, transfection efficiency and cell counting.
• Zeiss Celldiscoverer 7 automated microscope, a widefield system allowing controlled CO₂, temperature and humidity conditions, as well as hypoxia simulation. This equipment was funded by MCIU AEI, the European Regional Development Fund and the Regional Ministry of Education, Universities and Vocational Training.

This unit is equipped with high performance computing systems for 3D image analysis using Imaris 11 (Oxford Instruments), as well as the Zeiss Zen Blue software for data analysis in high-content assays.

The preclinical imaging facility is a key infrastructure in precision medicine, combining diagnosis and therapy to develop personalised treatments, particularly in the fields of oncology, nanomedicine and translational pharmacology.

Among its technological capabilities, the service includes a set of advanced preclinical imaging systems enabling non invasive anatomical and functional assessment of animal models. These include:

• MicroPET (Positron Emission Tomography), ideal for functional and molecular studies.
• SPECT (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography), providing functional imaging with high sensitivity.
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) for detailed evaluation of anatomical structures and physiological processes.
• Computed Tomography (CT), offering high resolution imaging for structural studies.

The integration of these technologies allows for comprehensive theranostic studies, from the molecular characterisation of diseases to real time evaluation of therapeutic efficacy.

This laboratory is adapted for handling radioisotope labelled molecules and complies with safety measures supervised by the USC Radiation Protection Service.

Available equipment:

• Two liquid scintillation detectors.
• Geiger counter.
• Gas extraction hood.
• Incubator ovens.
• Specialised refrigerators.

The CiMUS store service centralises orders of material from different commercial companies, guaranteeing the supply of material to all the groups.