Skin Cell Culture Core

University Of Alabama At Birmingham, Birmingham AL

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

As part of the DAB Skin Diseases Research Center (SDRC), the mission of the DAB SDRC Skin Cell Culture Core (SCCC) is to provide valuable resources, services, and training in research techniques for promoting interdisciplinary research in cutaneous biology. Over the last 4 years, our core services have become a vital resource to a diverse community of 35 UAB SDRC members and 12 new investigators representing 22 departments who depend upon our expertise to facilitate and support studies relating to cutaneous biology. The SCCC faculty and research staff have established expertise in the generation and maintenance of purified epidermal and dermal primary cell subsets, derived primarily from murine and human skin tissues or biopsy samples, in monolayer or organotypic cultures. We propose to continue to support and promote cutaneous research at UAB with the following specific aims: 1) To provide a central source of epidermal and dermal cell types from murine and human tissues to Center members in a cost efficient manner. 2) To maintain quality control measures that ensure the distribution of standardized contamination-free cultures. 3) To provide expertise in generating specialized cell culture systems and transfecting skin cells from either human or mouse sources. 4) To optimize methods for continuous long-term culture and immortalization protocols of murine keratinocytes derived from wild type and mutant mouse strains to accommodate increased demand by SDRC members. By providing various cell types at a cost that encourages new exploration and innovation, the SDRC SCCC has been essential for enhancing the quality and expanding the breadth of cutaneous research performed by multiple UAB investigators during last 4 years. We propose to continue and improve upon this vital service.