The immunology laboratory at the Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick (IRF-Frederick) offers a variety of capabilities to interrogate the immune responses against pathogens requiring maximum containment. These include but are not limited to cytometry (e.g., immunophenotyping), Luminex (multiplex protein/cytokine arrays), cell purification (MACS - Miltenyi), ELISAs, serology, in vitro functional assays, polyfunctional T-cell assay (PFTA), intracellular cytokine staining (ICS), and ELISPOT (e.g., T and B cell).
Main Areas of Focus
- Immunophenotyping and immune kinetics
- Pathogen-specific serology
- Multiplex cytokine assays and analysis
- In vitro functional assays
Capabilities and Specialized Equipment
- Custom pathogen-specific assay development
- Pathogen-specific prescreening
- Data interpretation and analysis
- BD LSR Fortessa (BSL-4, 2 at BSL-2) with up to 18 simultaneous parameters
- Luminex Flexmap 3D (1 at BSL-4, 1 at BSL-2)
- Miltenyi Gentle MACS Octo Dissociators with Heaters (2 at BSL-4)
- Tecan Infinite M200 Pro Plate Reader (Absorbance, Fluorescence, Luminescence)
- AquaMax 2000 Plate Washer with magnetic and cell-washing capabilities
Standards
All procedures are well-documented and adhere to standard operating procedures (SOPs), methods, or study-approved plans and agreements.
Collaboration Opportunities
- Studies relevant to human disease
- Use of surrogate systems to test clinical hypotheses
- Use of biological systems to answer questions regarding disease pathogenesis and strategies for intervention including antimicrobials, vaccines, and other countermeasures
- Developing and incorporating cutting-edge technologies to understand infectious diseases
Read more about how to work with the IRF-Frederick.
Location
Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick (IRF-Frederick)
Contact Information
Jens H. Kuhn, M.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., M.S.
Principal Scientist and Director of Virology (Contractor)