The ICTR Research Laboratory Core is housed in the Asthma and Allergy Center on the Johns Hopkins Bayview campus.
To request this service, apply to use our Clinical Research Units (CRUs).
The Core laboratory is a University Service Center and charges a service fee to cover costs and maintain revenue neutrality. The laboratory has been operating since 1992. The primary function of the ICTR Research Laboratory Core is to provide technical support for sophisticated clinical research assays. The laboratory performs approximately 160 different immunoassays for the determination of proteins, peptides, hormones, and other biochemical markers. The laboratory is a regional resource that supports investigators within the ICTR and investigators at nearby institutions, including the University of Maryland, Mercy Medical Center, University of Pennsylvania, University of Pittsburgh, and the Intramural Program at the National Institutes of Health. Within this context, the Laboratory supports investigators by providing facilities, technical experience and training for non-routine tissue, blood, saliva and urine sample analyses. Additionally, the Research Laboratory Core supports research protocols by providing consultation on research methodologies with respect to study design, selection of most appropriate assays, specimen logistics, data QC/QA and interpretation.
The ICTR Research Laboratory Core supports ICTR-approved protocols by providing facilities, technical experience, and training for non-routine blood, saliva, CSF (cerebrospinal fluid), and urine biochemical analyses. The Core Laboratory is staffed by a director and three full-time technicians with the expertise to support investigators as they plan and implement their protocols.
The lab provides standardized sample handling that upholds high quality control by, for example, minimizing freeze/thaw cycles. The high volume of assays processed in the lab, supports reduced investigator cost through batch analysis of samples and direct manufacturer pricing. Quality control is maintained by including manufacturers’ controls as well as low, medium, and high value in-house controls in each assay. A listing of current assay costs, specimen volume requirements, and inter- and intra-assay coefficient of variance are available in iLab.
Sample Processing Laboratory
The Sample Processing Laboratory provides specialized services associated with the routine inpatient and outpatient needs of the Bayview CRU. The lab provides onsite sample processing and point-of-care testing, including Clinitek status for HCG and urine dipstick, Accu-chek for glucose, Hemocue for hemoglobin, and hemoccult for fecal occult blood. It is equipped with a Beckman refrigerator centrifuge that rotates at speeds ranging from 1 to 8,000 rpm.
