Interdisciplinary Biochemistry Graduate Program at Indiana University-Bloomington

Our program is committed to providing students and faculty with access to modern facilities that support vigorous research programs. The biochemistry program has full access to resources including state-of-the-art instrumentation of the departments of biology, chemistry, optometry, psychology, physics, and the Medical Sciences Program.

Physical Biochemistry Instrumentation Facility (PBIF)

The Physical Biochemistry Instrumentation Facility supports research in structures, stabilities, and interactions of biomolecules. State-of-the-art instrumentation, analysis software, and thorough hands-on training are available 24 hours a day, and equipment time may be booked round the clock via a Web-based reservation system. The PBIF is directed by a Ph.D. scientist who assists researchers in the design and implementation of experiments.

The PBIF features optical instruments for the study of structure, folding, binding thermodynamics and kinetics, and quantitation experiments: a Perkin Elmer LS50B Luminescence Spectrometer; a Jasco J-715 Circular Dichroism Spectrometer with Peltier sample temperature control; an Amersham Biosciences Typhoon 9210 Variable Mode Imager equipped with the versatile ImageQuant TL analysis package; and a Varian Cary 100 Bio UV / Visible Spectrometer for oligonucleotide melting studies. Other available instrumentation includes: a Microcal Isothermal Titration Calorimeter (ITC); a Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC); a Beckman Coulter Optima XL-I Analytical Ultracentrifuge with both absorbance and interference capabilities for probing size and associative properties; a Packard 1600TR Scintillation Counter for quantitation of assays and substrates; and a BIAcore 3000 Surface Plasmon Resonance instrument that is capable of detailed, direct binding measurements and kinetic analysis of nucleotides and proteins.

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Center for Genomics and Bioinformatics
The Center for Genomics and Bioinformatics provides state-of-the-art equipment to perform genome wide analysis. The genomics laboratory is equipped with high throughput robotics and DNA chip micro array technology. CGB staff members assist researchers in devising and carrying out DNA chip micro array research projects that have genomics and bioinformatics components.

Staff personnel perform automated DNA sequence analysis and provide training and technical support for microscopic instrumentation and sample preparation.

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Macromolecular Structure Instrumentation
IU has state-of-the-art macromolecular X-ray crystallography facilities on campus. Researchers have acess to two RAXIS IV + detectors and two X-Stream cryosystems. Furthermore, researchers at IU are members of the Molecular Biology Consortium, which has a synchrotron beamline at the Advanced Light Source in Berkeley . All IU macromolecular crystallographers and their students have access to the new beamline for collection of high-resolution crystallographic data.

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Mass Spectrometry Laboratory
The chemistry department maintains a research service facility that includes a double-focusing, high-resolution Kratos MS80 mass spectrometer with a wide range of ionization methods, including FAB, EI, and CI with a sophisticated computer graphics presentation system. The facility is also equipped with a HP GC/MS and a Bruker BiFlex III MALDI-TOF. The laboratory is under the direction of a professional mass spectroscopist and technician.

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Molecular Structure Center
The Molecular Structure Center (MSC) is a service and research facility in the Department of Chemistry. This center has an international reputation in small molecule crystallography. Staffed by three professional crystallographers, a computer specialist, and other support personnel, the laboratory has developed unique instrumentation and computer systems for use in single-crystal structural analysis.

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Molecular Visualization Facility
The Molecular Visualization Facility consists of more than six Silicon Graphics and other UNIX client workstations, several high-speed Silicon Graphics servers, and a variety of related peripherals. All workstations and servers are interconnected by a high-speed switched network. The MVF also maintains and develops the StereoView Room, a high-technology seminar room equipped to provide molecular visualization in 3D virtual reality and other multimedia presentations for up to 30 researchers.

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Laboratory
The chemistry department contains a Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Facility with a professional staff of Ph.D. scientists and a technician. The NMR lab features four spectrometers optimized for work on liquid samples and one spectrometer dedicated to solid state NMR experiments. The liquid state NMR instruments consist of two Varian UnityINOVA spectrometers (I500 and I400), a Varian VXR-Unity spectrometer (VXR400), and a Varian Gemini-2000 spectrometer (Gem300). Various probes, such as a triple axis field gradient HCN probe, quad probes (1H/ 19F/31P/13C simultaneously), inverse probes, and broadband probes, allow tailoring of experiments to users' needs. The newest addition to the NMR facility, a Bruker Advance spectrometer operating at a 400 MHz 1H Larmor frequency (NMRSS1) is dedicated for solid samples.

National Center for Glycomics and Glycoproteomics
Supported by NIH-National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), the National Center for Glycomics and Glycoproteomics is devoted to the development of new methodologies and instrumentation in glycomics, proteomics, and glycoproteomics. In collaboration with researchers in biology and biomedical sciences at the national and international level, the center will promote applications of new methodologies in medical research and clinical diagnosis. The Center currently houses a number of sophisticated instruments that are used by staff scientists, post-doctorals, graduate students and undergraduates.

Instructional Computing Facilities
The Information Technology Group (ITG) provides information technology support for administrative, instructional, and research areas of the university. The ITG also monitors an extensive network connecting the many laboratories and offices to the university system. The group maintains a Web server to assist users with common computing problems and provides information useful to system administrators within departments. In addition to the core professional staff, ITG includes other professional and technical staff with information technology responsibilities in departments, as well as faculty and students with system administration responsibilities.

The individual departments in this program also maintain clusters of Intel/Windows NT workstations running the University Information Technology Services Student Technology Centers (STC) software as well as large clusters of PC and Macintosh personal computers, scanners and printers. These computing
facilities are fully staffed with personnel that maintain hardware, software and networking facilities of the departments. The Biology Department Biocomputing Office is headed by Don Gilbert, who is internationally known for molecular biology software that he develops, and for the IUBio Archive server of biology software and data.

Genetic Resources and Special Facilities
The Department of Biology also houses the National Drosophila and Axolotl Stock Collections, a gridded P1 insert library of the Drosophila genome; and FlyBase, an Internet data base for Drosophila genetics. Additional biological equipment and facilities include confocal and Electron Microscope Facility, Fermentation Facility, Greenhouses and cultivation fields, a Herbarium, and a Microbiology Stock Culture Collection.

Instrument Centers
The departments of Biology, Physics and Chemistry house an impressive number of instrumentation centers such as:

Computer Support Groups:
The Research Systems Engineering Group (RSEG) in the Department of Chemistry and the Biocomputing office in the Department of Biology provide support for the nearly 600 computer systems located in the departments as well as assisting with specialized networks necessary to interconnect the varied systems. In addition, these groups specialize in the design and construction of unique computer interfaces for data acquisition and instrument control. A specialized laboratory at the RCSG facility allows the design and construction of multilayer printed circuit boards as well as the use of modern surface-mount components.

Electronic Instrument Services:
The Departments of Chemistry and Biology each house Electronic Instrument shops that provide services for the design, modification, construction, and repair of chemical and electronic instrumentation. The Chemistry Department also houses a Student Electronics Shop for use by students. The shop is equipped with modern test and construction equipment, and is used by researchers.

Glass Shop:
Both routine and unique glassware are fabricated in the Glass Shop, staffed by a professional glassblower. Specialized equipment—including two lathes, drills, saws, and glass grinding and polishing equipment—are available. Instruction in the art of glassworking is also available.

Mechanical Instrumentation Shop:
The Chemistry Department also contans a Mechanical Instrument Services Facility (MIS), a well-equipped machine shop staffed by seven instrument makers. In addition to mechanical lathes and milling machines, three computer-driven (CNC) milling machines are used in the construction of original, unique, or commercially unavailable apparatus for the department. Apparatus design, sheet metal shops, and heliarch welding, as well as high vacuum construction and leak testing facilities, are also available. A fully equipped student shop is available, and instruction is given to students who wish to construct their own equipment.

Library Resources
Indiana University has six science libraries on campus. You will have access to subscriptions to hundreds of electronic journals of interest to scientists, many with direct links to the abstracting and indexing databases. A variety of other databases are provided on public computers through the IU libraries, including the Beilstein
CrossFire plus Reactions and the Gmelin databases.

The print collection of the Chemistry Library covers the major chemistry and biochemistry journals, reference sources, and books which are housed in a modern facility staffed by professional librarians and several assistants. Reference service is also provided by graduate students enrolled in the Chemical Information Specialist program.

The Life Sciences Library in Jordan Hall is an exceptionally rich resource for students and faculty who need access to the biological and biomedical sciences literature. Approximately 750 current journal subscriptions are maintained, and the entire collection numbers over 100,000 volumes. In addition, patrons can conduct on-line literature searches on any of a large number of computer generated databases on the biological sciences literature.

The Multidisciplinary Science Building
IU has initiated construction of a new science building on the Bloomington campus that is designed for interdisciplinary biochemistry research with modular, easily reconfigurable spaces that can be tailored to the needs of different projects. Construction is expected to be completed in 2007. The building will house Interdisciplinary Biochemistry Program researchers from chemistry, biology, psychology, and physics. The MSB will facilitate groundbreaking work in proteomics, genomics, materials science, biophysics, and a variety of disciplines that will move Indiana University to the forefront of major research institutions.