Trinity Cell Analysis Technologies

The state-of-the-art Trinity Cell Analysis Technologies in the School of Biochemistry and Immunology is a consolidated research technology service, incorporating world-class infrastructure and facilities.
It is led by the Director of Research Technology (Dr Barry Moran) and includes cytometry, light and electron microscopy, and histology, supported by extensive technical expertise. Facilities include the Flow Cytometry Facility (FCF; led by Dr Barry Moran), the Light Microscopy Facility (LMF; led by Dr Riccardo Maraspini), and the Electron Microscopy Facility (EMF; led by Neal Leddy). The cores are housed in custom-built laboratory space within the Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, each with an experienced manager.

Other high-end equipment within the School, outside the core facilities, includes an in vivo fluorescence & luminescence Biospace PhotonIMAGER, Seahorse instrumentation, Mabtech FluoroSpot and ELISpot, the Samplix Xdrop microfluidic encapsulation system, real-time PCR systems, spectroscopy instruments and plate readers.

The Team

Barry Moran, MSc, PhD (Director of Research Technology; Manager, Flow Cytometry Facility) 

Riccardo Maraspini, MSc, PhD (Manager, Light Microscopy Facility)

Neal Leddy, MSc (Manager, Electron Microscopy Facility)

Mila Miteva, BA (Mod) (Research Assistant; Flow Cytometry Specialist) 

Flow Cytometry Facility

With users from over 150 research groups, both academic and industry, these are very busy technology facilities with extensive experience in many areas, particularly immunophenotyping, intracellular cytokine analysis, cell cycle and apoptosis studies. With a dedicated manager (Dr Barry Moran) and Research Assistant, training, supervision, and assistance is provided in all aspects; from experimental design through instrument set up, data acquisition and analysis. Although post-acquisition analysis is usually performed off-site, there is an Analysis PC available within the facility with FlowJo, SpectroFlo, IDEAS and Accuri C6 software.

All researchers must be trained on the cytometers before access (irrespective of experience). Training is run every 2-3 months.

Sorting services are provided whereby the prepared samples (and controls) are brought to the facility and the populations are selected and purified. Training is not required, and experimental design and assistance are provided.

Sorting services and cytometer usage is charged at an hourly rate, with prices varying for TBSI, academic, and industrial researchers.

Light Microscopy Facility

Instrumentation and equipment within the Light Microscopy Facility and Histology Facility support imaging technologies, and its instrumentation and services are available to all researchers. The instruments include GATED-STED, confocal, spinning disk, upright and inverted microscopes, as well as histology preparation tools. The facility manager (Dr Riccardo Maraspini) has considerable experience and expertise, working with researchers in all aspects of their imaging projects.

Electron Microscopy Facility

Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) in biomedical science is a vital research tool, providing insight into the mechanisms of cells, tissue, organisms and bio-molecules. Biological TEM is indispensable in structural biology, virology, and materials science, complementing the other imaging and analytical techniques in the School. The facility features a JEOL JEM-1400 120Kv TEM, which is ideally suited to life sciences applications. The facility manager has extensive experience, providing expert support in experimental design, sample prep, instrument operation and image acquisition and interpretation. 

Location and hours of operation

The Trinity Cell Analysis Technologies are located in the Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinty College Dublin. The Flow Cytometry Facility is in Lab 3.16, the Microscopy and Imaging Facility is in Lab B2.48, and B2.40. The Biological TEM is in B3.X. 

Map to TBSI

Links and Resources

Trinity Cell Analysis Technologies https://www.tcd.ie/Biochemistry/research/facilities/

Contacts