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RESEARCH
LABORATORIES AND SUPPORT FACILITIES
 Research
laboratories are located in the Kline Biology
Tower (KBT) and Osborn Memorial Laboratories (OML).
In KBT, where most faculty members are housed,
there are constant temperature rooms, tissue culture
and fermentor facilities, plant growth chambers,
a zebrafish facility, and extensive equipment
for molecular biological, genetic, biochemical,
optical, and electrophysiological investigations.
Three P2 facilities are available for work requiring
biological containment. Confocal microscopes,
a cell sorter, an automatic DNA synthesizer, and
an automatic DNA sequencer are located in the
laboratories of individual faculty members. The
departmental electron microscope facility, also
located in KBT, has two transmission electron
microscopes and one scanning electron microscope,
together with complete support facilities for
specimen preparation and sectioning, serviced
by a full-time technical associate.
OML houses the major classrooms and teaching
laboratories of the Department and the Training
and Research Support Division, in addition to
research laboratories and offices for faculty
members in plant molecular biology. Plant growth
chambers, constant temperature rooms and tissue
culture facilities are located in OML; a small
greenhouse is also located nearby. The top floor
contains the major animal care facility for small
mammals on the Arts and Sciences campus. In Yale’s
Marsh Botanical Gardens, located one block north
of Science Hill, there are outdoor plots and three
large greenhouses for research purposes as well
as a display collection of native and exotic woody
plants.
GENOMICS FACILTIES
The Yale Center for Excellence in Genome Science
(YCEGS) is an NIH funded facility located in the
Yale MCDB Department in Kline Tower. The principal
function of the YCEGS is the production of genomic
and proteomic microarrays for experimental approaches
not available from commercial sources. An example
is the production of microarrays with all of the
unique sequences for the entire length of human
chromosome 22. The open reading frames are available
commercially, but the intergenic regions are not.
We produce the microarrays from the design of
PRR primers for whole chromosomes, perform the
PCR amplification and verification of the DNA
fragments (22,000 DNA fragments for hC22) and
the print the microarray slides. Liquid handling
robotics do the pipetting, multiple PCR machines
do the amplification, capillary electrophoresis
verifies the PCR products (rather than gels),
and pin tool or piezoelectric arrayers print the
slides. Graduate Students, Post-docs, and PIs
from several departments (MCDB, MBB, Chemistry,
Yale Med Pathology, Yale Med Cell Biology, and
EPH) throughout Yale University utilize the facility.
In addition to human chromosomes, the YCEGS has
arrayed all of the yeast ORFs, all yeast intergenic
DNA fragments, and all of the available rice ORFs.
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IMAGING FACILITIES
The Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology
Department hosts several advanced facilities for
optical imaging. Among these is the Yale University
Neuroengineering and Neuroscience Center (NNC),
which provides advanced image acquisition and
analysis services, using state of the art laser
confocal microscopy in the ultraviolet and visible
wavelengths. Originally funded as an advanced
technology center by the state of Connecticut,
the facility is currently located to the second
floor of the Kline Biology Tower (KBT). Among
the instrumentation is a Biorad model 1024 UV
laser confocal microscope system, configured with
both UV argon ion laser and visible krypton argon
lasers. The confocal microscope system allows
for ratiometric measurements of ion levels in
living tissues, as well as three-channel confocal
microscopy of virtually all fluorophores currently
available for biological research. The facility
also houses advanced image processing workstations
that are network linked to user laboratories.
On the same floor of KBT is the molecular biophysics
facility. This facility provides advanced image
acquisition and analysis of living specimens,
using computer-enhanced digital optical microscopy.
The Cytoskeletal and Cell Motility Research Group
(CCMG), a consortium of several departmental researchers
studying problems in molecular dynamics of living
cells, also maintains its optical and image analysis
facilities on the same floor. The CCMG, also oversees
the departmental transmission and scanning electron
microscopes located in basement level of OML.
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TRAINING
AND RESEARCH SUPPORT DIVISION
This division of the Department of Molecular,
Cellular and Developmental Biology currently operates
from space in Osborn Memorial Laboratories and
Kline Biology Tower. Its functions are to provide
several introductory and advanced laboratory courses
for advanced undergraduates and physicians, to
serve as a central location for support of faculty
research, and to foster and facilitate scientific
interactions between and among undergraduates,
graduate students, technical staff, postdocs,
and faculty. The Division teaches techniques and
approaches in molecular biology, protein chemistry,
cell biology, and microscopy.
The Division is in an ongoing process of adding
to its faculty and technical support personnel.
Kenneth Nelson, Ph.D., is the present Director
of the Division and teaches the nucleic acids
courses. Joseph Wolenski, Ph.D., teaches the protein
chemistry and cell biology courses. In addition
to the course offerings during the regular semesters,
summer short courses in current methods of molecular
biology and protein chemistry for Medical Research
Fellows, Industrial Scientists, and High School
Teachers are taught.
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THE
PEABODY MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
The Peabody Museum of Natural History is one
of the largest natural history museums in the
country, with important research collections in
all areas of zoology, botany, and paleontology,
together with geology, anthropology, and archeology.
Further information on Yale
Peabody Museum of Natural History.
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LIBRARY
FACILITIES
Kline Biology Tower houses the Kline Science
Library, the major anthropology, biology, biochemistry,
and physics library on campus. Research librarians
are available to help in all aspects of library
research,  including
computer literature searches. Together with adjacent
libraries in Astronomy, Chemistry, Geology and
Geophysics, and the School of Forestry and Environmental
Studies, the library complex on Science Hill consists
of approximately one million volumes. This is
supplemented by related material in the central
University library, Sterling Memorial Library,
and the library of the Medical School. The Connecticut
Agricultural Experiment Station, located just
a few blocks from Yale, also maintains an extensive
collection of books and journals.
Further information on Yale
Science Libraries.
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Marsh Botanic Garden
Marsh Botanic Gardens supports research and instruction for MCDB, EEB and other departments and schools here at Yale.
Further information on Marsh Botanic Garden.
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