Cluster for Molecular Biotechnology

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The Cluster for Molecular Biotechnology is an internationally recognised centre for basic and applied research and training, with programs in microbial, plant and animal applications. The staff consist of more than twenty full-time researchers, with ten support staff, and an additional fifteen academic staff who have substantial involvement in both research and training of graduate students. There are over seventy-five research students from all parts of the world, who participate in programs that encompass Diagnostics, Tropical Crops and Biocommodities, Hormone Dependent Cancers, Infectious Diseases, and Tissue Repair & Regeneration.

Researchers and students enjoy state-of-the-art facilities, and extensive collaborations with medical, health and industry workers, as well interactions with several other key research institutions and universities, both locally and overseas.

• The cluster occupies two floors of a building located at the gardens point campus. Spacious, open plan laboratories, are well-equipped for microbiological, biochemical, molecular and cellular research, and include ample low temperature (-80C and liquid nitrogen) storage space. Spacious open plan laboratories offer clear access to work areas and equipment
• The laboratories are complemented by two large cold rooms and a walk-in freezer room, and several animal and plant tissue culture areas (including a new primary culture facility)
• Several low and ultra-low temperature storage units are features of the multi-purpose laboratories
• Part of extensive cell culture facilities available to researchers
• Culture facilities and growth rooms dedicated to plant research
• Additional facilities, such as plant glasshouses, are located off-site, and researchers also enjoy access to joint facilities available at collaborating hospitals and other organisations. Standard specialised research areas also include radioisotope, PCR and photographic (developing) rooms
• Specialised radioisotope handling facilities
• Numerous PCR cyclers are available to researchers
• Specialised area for preparing PCR reactions are among the assets of the laboratories
• Researchers and students have ready access to molecular separations units such as multiple low-, high-speed and ultra-centrifuges, electrophoresis units (including capillary electrophoresis), and HPLC and FPLC units
• Part of the biomolecular separations area, with FPLC and Biacore plasmon resonance units shown
• Characterisation of biomolecules is available through numerous UV/visible and fluorimetric spectrometers, PCR analysers (including real-time PCR), microplate readers, a microarray analyser, and a plasmon resonance analyser
• Further views of instrumentation areas, with capillary electrophoresis and sensitive spectrometers visible
• The laboratory has the capacity for high throughput analyses, with robotic liquid handling capability in house
• Part of the nucleic acid work area with spacious fume hood, and robotic unit (Biomek), visible in the background
• Denaturing HPLC equipment, with a highly sensitive fluorescence spectrometer just visible in the background
• Interior of spacious plant culture and growth room