Lab Automation and Screening

The Arthropod Cell Screening Facility (ACSF) develops, optimizes, implements, and distributes technologies useful for genome-wide cell screening in cultured cells from arthropods, including from the classical genetic model system Drosophila and non-model species such as mosquitos and ticks. Through our own work and support of other projects, we aim to have impact on health-relevant areas including mosquito- and tick-borne disease and food security. Our central technology is CRISPR-Cas9 knockout screening platforms. We have developed screening platforms for several species, each comprised of sets of engineered cell lines, plasmids, and sgRNA libraries. We provide access to these and other technologies through collaboration and technology dissemination. We also developed and maintain a suite of online tools for reagent design and data analysis, mining, and integration, with a particular focus on support for Drosophila, insect, and tick research applications. In addition, the ACSF provides access to legacy cell RNAi reagents originally created by the Drosophila RNAi Screening Center (DRSC).

Core Director - Stephanie Mohr
Core Website - https://acsf.hms.harvard.edu/

HMS imaging cores website: https://microscopy.hms.harvard.edu

The ICCB-Longwood Screening Facility assists investigators in conducting high-throughput screens of chemical and functional genomics libraries to identify new tools for biological research. The ICCB-Longwood compound collection is continuously growing. Over 500,000 compounds are currently available for screening, including > ~15,000 'known bioactive' compounds, many of which have been characterized in animal models or in the clinic. Multiple human and mouse whole-genome siRNA libraries, as well as miRNA mimic and inhibitor libraries, are available for RNAi screening. Arrayed, synthetic single-guide RNA libraries targeting the human draggable genome are available for CRISPR knock out screening. Laboratory automation equipment is also available for use by the community for non-screening projects. The facility employs a staff-assisted screening model.

Core Director - Jennifer Smith
Core Assistant Director - Patricia Szajner
Core Website - http://iccb.med.harvard.edu/