The Molecular Biosciences Laboratory (MBL), headed by Associate Professor Brian Monk, is one of the facilities available to researchers in the Sir John Walsh Research Institute.
The MBL is a Physical Containment level 2 (PC2) registered facility. That means that researchers are able to study risk group 2 microorganisms, including most oral pathogens, safely.
The MBL is equipped for research in:
- Microbiology
- Biochemistry
- Molecular biology
- Cell biology
There are individual research work spaces in a large open-plan laboratory and separate specialised equipment rooms.
Our specialised equipment includes the following:
- Beckman ultracentrifuge for sub-cellular fractionation
- AKTA FLPC (fast protein liquid chromatography) for protein purification
- Applied Biosystems real-time PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) machine for measuring gene expression in biological samples
- Biotek Synergy 2 microplate reader that can measure the light absorbance, fluorescence, or luminescence of samples in a microtitre plate
- Anerobic chamber for the growth of anaerobic oral microorganisms
- Tissue culture facilities for culturing human cell lines
Programmes that use MBL
Our specialist equipment
Anerobic chamber for the growth of anaerobic oral microorganisms.