Welcome to Duke University's Core Research Facilities & Equipment, your hub for advanced research technologies and services. Spanning across disciplines from life sciences to data science, our resources are designed to empower researchers, faculty, and students to make significant breakthroughs. Explore our state-of-the-art facilities and see how they can elevate your research journey.
Behavioral Health and Survey Research Core (BHSRC)
The BHSRC core is a service center designed to support Duke Cancer Institute (DCI) investigators interested in using state-of-the-science, evidence-based behavioral and epidemiological research methods for cancer-related research.
Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Research Design (BERD) Methods Core
The BERD Methods Core can help develop appropriate teams to facilitate collaborative relationships between methodologists (including but not limited to experts in biostatistics, bioinformatics, data science, and qualitative research) and basic and clinical investigators; and provide expertise and guidance on all aspects of study design, statistical methodology implementation, and results interpretation.
Center for Human Systems Immunology Core Lab (CHSI)
The Center for Human Systems Immunology Core Lab (CHSI) provides support for cross-cutting functional areas: immune function and repertoire analyses, immuno-genomics, immuno-biological imaging, and technical themes of analyzing complex assays, inference based on immunogenomics, host-pathogen dynamics, and predictive modeling of outcomes.
Division of Laboratory Animal Resources (DLAR) Breeding Core
The DLAR Breeding Core is a service provided to offer all components of rodent breeding colony operation and management to investigators maintaining strains of mice.
Division of Laboratory Animal Resources (DLAR) Gnotobiotic Core Services
The DLAR Gnotobiotic Core provides germ-free (GF) and gnotobiotic mice to investigators at Duke University. The core breeds and maintains germ-free C57BL/6 and BALB/c mouse strains, and re-derivation of additional GF mouse strains is available upon request.
Duke Advanced Light Imaging and Spectroscopy Facility (ALIS) Core Facility, Arts & Sciences
Duke's Advanced Light Imaging and Spectroscopy (ALIS) facility provides cutting-edge optical imaging technology that is beyond the capabilities of commercial instruments. The 980-square-foot facility represents a significant investment in the sciences at Duke, and complements the capabilities of the Light Microscopy Core Facility. The first instruments in the facility include a lattice light-sheet microscope, a deep-tissue serial sectioning microscope, and a multimodal pump-probe microscope. ALIS will offer the possibility of adapting these microscopes and co-developing novel microscopy approaches with PIs on campus.
Duke Center for AIDS Research (CFAR): Clinical Core Facility
The Clinical Core provides access for investigators to specified and carefully characterized populations of people with HIV (PWH); providing expert assistance in study design, implementation, and regulatory support; identifying new scientific opportunities based upon novel clinical observations; promoting interdisciplinary team science; and engaging investigators new to HIV/AIDS research.
Duke Center for AIDS Research (CFAR): Immunology Core
The Immunology Core provides Duke HIV/AIDS scientists, clinicians, collaborators, and trainees access to an innovative, state-of-the-art, and standardized repertoire of immunologic assays that can comprehensively and deeply interrogate the immunologic space in response to HIV-1 infection, vaccination, co-infections, and cure strategies.
Duke Center for AIDS Research (CFAR): Quantitative Sciences Core
The mission of the CFAR Quantitative Sciences Core is to provide quantitative support for intramural collaboration and coordination of all AIDS-related research activities at Duke and its partner institutions.
Duke Center for AIDS Research (CFAR): Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBS) Core Facility
SBS Core Services include early planning and grant preparation, peer review, post-award consultation, training and capacity building, networking and community engagement, mentoring, dissemination of study findings and manuscript preparation.
Duke Center for Genomic and Computational Biology (GCB): Proteomics and Metabolomics Core Facility
The Proteomics and Metabolomics Core Facility uses mass spectrometry as the key technology for qualitative and quantitative protein characterization. Services include protein identification and protein quantitation from a wide variety of sample types, from simple mixtures like gel spots and bands to complex mixtures like protein complexes, cell lysates, and plasma.
Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI): Duke Early Phase Clinical Research Core
Duke Early Phase Clinical Research combines clinical, analytical, and operational expertise to accelerate the availability of therapies, diagnostics, and medical devices to humans.
Duke Human Vaccine Institute (DHVI): Biomolecular Interaction Analysis Core
The BIA Core provides specialized applications and support in Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) based interaction analyses to basic and clinical researchers.
Duke Immune Profiling Core (DIPC)
The DIPC provides comprehensive, highly standardized, state-of-the-art human immunologic profiling services in support of both intra- and extramural translational research endeavors, including Phase I/II clinical trials. New for the DIPC is the addition of IsoLight, an innovative new assay platform. IsoLight enables multifaceted proteomic data layers from Bulk and Single Cells, with same day analysis and publication-ready figures.
Duke Molecular Physiology Institute (DMPI): Biomarkers Core Facility
The Biomarkers Core Facility assists investigators with the design and implementation of molecular and protein assays to evaluate biochemical and inflammatory markers, and also specializes in analyses of joint tissue metabolites.
Duke Molecular Physiology Institute (DMPI): Human Physiology Testing (HPT) Core
The HPT Core offers clinical procedures related to the biochemical and physical functions of the human body, including physical fitness assessment, physical activity monitoring, energy expenditure measurement, evaluation of glucose metabolism, body composition measurement, phlebotomy and nursing services, and muscle biopsy procedures.
Duke Molecular Physiology Institute (DMPI): Metabolomics/Proteomics Core
The DMPI Metabolomics/Proteomics Core Laboratory is a leader in applying both targeted and non-targeted mass spectrometry (MS)-based metabolomics to better detect and understand chronic human diseases. The laboratory also routinely applies sophisticated MS methods for analysis of metabolic flux using stable isotope-labeled metabolic substrates. In parallel, DMPI has developed and applied mass spectrometry-based post-translational modification proteomics (e.g. phospho-proteomics, acyl-proteomics) for mechanistic studies, as well as broader protein survey technologies for clinical/epidemiological applications.
Duke Molecular Physiology Institute (DMPI): Molecular Genomics Core Facility
The Molecular Genomics Core services include single cell molecular profiling, spatial gene expression, DNA methylation profiling, genotyping, copy number variation, and sample quantitative/qualitative analysis.
Duke Transgenic Mouse Core
The Duke Transgenic Mouse Core provides Duke researchers with comprehensive and user-friendly services for the production of custom designed, transgenic and gene targeted mice, and the ability to cryopreserve these reagents for storage & distribution to the scientific community.
Duke University School of Nursing (DUSON) Biostatistical Core
The DUSON Biostatistical Core provides expertise in statistical data analysis in support of DUSON researchers as they launch new clinical and translation projects. Drawing on a team of highly skilled biostatistician, they provide expertise in experimental design, power and sample size calculation, data management, statistical data analysis and modeling, and technical report writing. They are available for both short-term consulting projects as well as long-term collaborative research. In particular, their goal is to serve as investigators and key personnel on grant proposals and can provide assistance with protocol development. Contact john.myers@duke.edu for more information.
Duke Viral Vector Core (VVC)
The VVC is a full-service facility with extensive experience in the production of viral-based platforms for gene delivery including lentiviral vectors and adeno-associated vectors (AAV). The vector core provides comprehensive service to researchers interested in utilizing viral-based method of gene delivery.
Functional Genomics Core Facility
The Functional Genomics Core Facility provides researchers access to genome-wide RNAi reagents and the infrastructure necessary to conduct large-scale functional studies in mammalian cells.
Hemostasis & Thrombosis Center Core Lab
The Hemostasis and Thrombosis Center Core Laboratory offers an extensive array of routine and specialized assays for the assessment of normal hemostatic pathways. Services also include research protocol development and experimental study design, as well as data management and sample banking.
Light Microscopy Core Facility (LMCF)
The LMCF offers a wide range of confocal and conventional fluorescence microscopes and image analysis resources.
Microsurgery Core Facility
The Microsurgery Core Facility provides investigators with a central high-quality microsurgical service, and helps to design and develop models that require microsurgery in small animals that allow investigators to test their hypothesis.
MouseBehavioralCore@Duke
The MouseBehavioralCore@Duke can provide in-depth testing in numerous behavioral domains, as well as some neuroendocrine analyses. Services also include assistance with experimental design, data analysis and interpretation, and publication of results.
Research Animal Pathology Core
The Research Animal Pathology Core helps support the animal care and use function in the Division of Laboratory Animal Resources (DLAR) as well as provides research pathology support services for the Duke University biomedical community.
Rodent Inhalation Core
The Rodent Inhalation Core provides Duke Investigators and its partners with expertise in rodent inhalation, injury and therapeutic models. Comprehensive services include study design and development, performance of exposures and phenotyping, and data analysis and interpretation.
Substrate Services Core Research Support (SSCRS)
The SSCRS serves as a centralized processing core and storehouse for research samples for large clinical, consortium-based collaborations and for basic, discovery science.
Surgery Large Animal Core
The Surgery Large Animal Core provides expertise and support for large animal-based investigations and training. Services provided include performing and providing technical expertise for research and training related large animal procedures.
Zebrafish Core (Z-Core)
Z-Core offers aquaculture services to biomedical researchers using zebrafish as a model organism.