ENGLISH

Leader：Shigehiro Kamitori, (Prof., Faculty of Medicine)

The Laboratory is responsible for the maintenance and service of a number of highly efficient equipment and apparatus with a high degree of precision and sensitivity for the common use in morphological biochemical, physiological and other medical research.
Free access is allowed to any equipment and apparatus 24 hours a day 365 days a year, although the utilization of this equipment and apparatus is under the control of our technical staff who are specialized in operating and maintaining the equipment and apparatus in their charge. All technical staff are proud to help your research studies with their skillful techniques.
The Laboratory installs not only highly developed equipment and apparatus maintained excellent conditions, but also may provide users with new informations on research and advanced or applied use of these equipment and apparatus.
The Laboratory consists of six sections; morphological research, functional research, electron physiological research, cell cultivation, computer and workshop, respectively. There are more than two hundred equipment units and apparatus reasonably allocated in the Laboratory in well maintained condition.
Main Equipment and Apparatus of the Laboratory
Research rooms of the Laboratory are distributed from the first to sixth floors of the basic & clinical research and graduate school buildings, and the total extent of them is about 1,435 m2. The main equipment and apparatus arranged in these rooms are as follows.
For morphological research ; transmission and scanning electron microscopes, universal large field microscope, laser scanning microscope, polarizing microscope, image analyzer, freeze etching system, rotary micro tome, cryostat, ultramicrotome, quick freezing apparatus, ion sputter coater, non-frozen tissue sectioner, vacuum evaporator and critical point dryer.
For functional research; nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometers with a narrow bore operated at 400 MHz and with a wide bore operated at 270 MHz, electron spin resonance spectrometer, mass spectrometer, laser Raman and circular dichroism spectrometers, atomic absorption spectrophotometers, dual wave length thin layer chromatoscanner, gas and high performance liquid chromatographs, amino acid analyzer, protein sequencer, automatic preparative ultracentrifuges, lyophilizer, analyzers for catecholamine, flame photometer, gravitometer, DNA sequencer, micro plate reader and freeze dryers.
For electro-physiological research we are equipped with polygraphs, memory oscilloscope, hydrogen gas clearance tissue flow meter, electromagnetic flow meter, oximater, osmometer, electric stimulator and microwave applicator.
For cell cultivation and cell physiological research, carbon dioxide incubator, Coulter counter, flow cytometer, fluorescence microscope, inverted microscope, X-ray apparatus, ultra deep freezer, autoclave and hot air sterilizer are equipped.
Personal computers for multipurpose are available.
A lathe machine, milling machine and drilling machine are installed in the workshop.
Use of the Laboratory
The use of the research rooms and equipment and apparatus of the Laboratory is open to research work 24 hours, although help of the technical staff of the Laboratory should not be expected after 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 a.m. on the next day.
Users are required to enter their names in a book at the main office of the Laboratory. Users should keep their mind on the following rules :
(1)keep clean the working table and research room,
(2) do not bring out any equipment or apparatus from the research room without permission,
(3) operate the equipment and apparatus by themselves (however, several delicate equipment such as amino acid analyzer, gas chromatograph mass spectrograph and flow cytometer are operated by technical staff of the Laboratory),
(4)inform immediately to any staff of the Laboratory about any trouble or damage of the equipment.
Staff, graduate students and research students of the medical school can also be users of the Laboratory. Undergraduate students can also use the Laboratory under the control of teaching staff. Other persons can use the Laboratory only upon approval of the director of Laboratory.
Managing Expenses and Rent of the Laboratory
Managing expenses necessary for maintenance and repair of the equipment and apparatus are provided from the administrative expenditure of the School under approval of the professorial council of the School.
For the present time, no user is required to pay any fees for use of the Laboratory, although materials for consumption such as chemicals will be charged to the user.
Organization and Management of the Laboratory
The Laboratory is managed by the steering committee, which consists of the director of the Laboratory and several professors of the University and Hospital. The committee deliberates about innovations and renovations of the equipment and apparatus and other necessary affairs for the management of the Laboratory. Practically the Laboratory is superintended by the associate professor and his staff.