Our Protein Technology Hub provides expertise and facilities for all aspects of protein expression, purification, and the analysis of protein structure, function and interactions.
Equipment and services
Protein expression
The Protein Research Hub is home to a number of facilities which support protein expression applications:
- Expression vectors and host organisms
- Prokaryotic protein expression facilities
- Eukaryotic protein expression facilities (mammalian, yeast and insect cell culture)
Protein purification
Researchers can access the following protein purification facilities:
- FPLC facility (Akta Pure 25, Akta Explorer, Akta Prime Plus, Akta Start FPLC systems). Full training is provided.
- Preparative gel electrophoresis (Bio-Rad prep cell)
Protein analysis
The Hub is equipped with state-of-the-art protein analysis instruments:
- BMG Clariostar monochromator microplate reader
- Measures absorbance, fluorescence and luminescence in 96- or 384-well plates
- Continuously adjustable bandwidths (8 to 100 nm) and wavelengths (320 to 850 nm) for absorbance and fluorescence scanning and custom excitation/emission selection
- Equipped with 2 sample injectors allowing rapid measurements (eg calcium assays)
- LiCor Odyssey CLx infra-red fluorescence scanner
- Quantitative Western blotting and gel analysis
- In-cell Western blot measures protein levels from fixed cells in multi-well plates (ideal for cell line generation or siRNA screening)
- Malvern MicroV zetasizer light scattering and refractive index detector
- Measures protein size, concentration and molecular mass following gel filtration chromatography; measures protein size in batch mode
Other facilities available in the hub include cell disruption, a cuvette fluorimeter, and protein analysis using transmission electron microscopy.
Cardiff University Structural Sciences and Biophysics Network (CUSSBN)
This network enables information sharing for molecular biophysical analysis and structure determination including protein expression, purification, crystallisation, EM sample preparation etc. Spanning across the University, the network facilitates collaboration between experts across the Schools, as well as external guest structural scientists and molecular biophysicists.
If you would like to find out more about the network: for structural sciences please contact Dr Ben Bax or Dr Pierre Rizkallah, for molecular biophysics please contact Dr Niek Buurma.
Contact us
For more information on our Protein Technology Hub, please contact:
