• The Retsch MM400 Mixer Mill is a compact and versatile bench-top unit that was specifically developed for dry, wet and cryogenic grinding of small amounts of sample. Primarily used to grind hair for hormone extraction, the device can mix and homogenize powders and suspensions in a few seconds.
• The mixer has 8 x 10ml grinder jars, 2 x 5ml grinder jars, and 2 x 1.5ml grinder jars for a variety of material weights.

To ensure the availability of the mixer mill, please book the time that you are intending to use the equipment in advance.

To view availability, please visit CSRL multi-user calendar. Please note you must be a University of Saskatchewan PAWS user with a valid NSID, and you must be logged in to PAWS before you can book times on the calendar (please email karen.gesy@usask.ca for access to the SharePoint)

This piece of equipment is subject to user fees.

• We have two nitrogen dryers located in WCVM 2554 and WCVM 2540.
• Each unit can accommodate up to 48 samples in 13x100mm (gold inserts) or 12x75mm (black inserts) glass culture tubes.
• They are heat and gas pressure controllable.

To ensure the availability of the nitrogen dryer, please book the time that you are intending to use the equipment in advance.

To view availability, please visit CSRL multi-user calendar. Please note you must be a University of Saskatchewan PAWS user with a valid NSID, and you must be logged in to PAWS before you can book times on the calendar (please email karen.gesy@usask.ca for access to the SharePoint)

This piece of equipment is subject to user fees.

• CO2 incubators: We have two carbon dioxide incubators, both of which are temperature and CO2 adjustable. They have multiple shelves to accommodate multiple plates.  They are located in WCVM 2536 (Molecular Lab) and WCVM 2534 (Mycoplasma and ELISA). The Caron unit in WCVM 2534 also allows for control of humidity.
• General use incubator: We have a single non-CO2 incubator in WCVM 2536 that is temperature controlled.

For more information about arranging use of the above equipment, please contact: Karen Gesy (306-966-7071), WCVM Clinical Science Research Laboratories Coordinator.

• We have two microplate readers available in our labs to read plates from six to 384 wells.
• Our Bio-Rad microplate reader, the iMark, runs the MM6 software and can read from 405, 415, 450, 490, 595, 655, and 750 nm.
• Our second machine is the Byonoy 96 well Absorbance Reader. This unit can read from 405, 450, 492, and 620 nm.

To ensure the availability of a microplate reader, please book the time that you are intending to use the equipment in advance.

To view availability, please visit the multi-user calendar. Please note you must be a University of Saskatchewan PAWS user with a valid NSID, and you must be logged in to PAWS before you can book times on the calendar (please email karen.gesy@usask.ca for access to the SharePoint site).

This piece of equipment is subject to user fees.

Two independent protocols can be run on the two blocks, so two users can start and end their PCR reactions independently.

One side can have up to 64 samples while the second side can run up to 32.

This piece of equipment is subject to user fees.

Alternatively, Q-PCR and rt-PCR can be performed in the WCVM Molecular Microbiology Laboratory.

Mini: Quick spin up to six 1.5-2ml microtubes or change the attachment and spin two eight-well strips: located in WCVM 2536 (molecular room), WCVM 2534 (mycoplasma room) and WCVM 2548 (spermatology lab). 

Microcentrifuge: refrigerated or not. Spin up to 24 samples in 1.5-2ml tube (attachments for smaller tubes available) at speeds of up to 15,000 rpm (21,130 x g/rcf). There is one in almost every lab.

Clinical: specifically designed for spinning blood tubes for ease of separation. Maximum of 10 samples at once. Found in WCVM 2548 (spermatology lab). We also have two field versions kept in WCVM 2540 to be booked for use using our SharePoint calendar (under other equipment). 

Benchtop: swing out rotors for blood, culture and more. Inserts can accommodate 56 x 5ml-15ml tubes, 28 x 50ml tubes or 2x plates (different rotor attachment). Spin samples from 200 to 4300 x g (up to 2539 rmp). Located in WCVM 2540 (dirty lab) and WCVM 2534 (ELISA room). 

The AlphaImager systems are designed for fluorescent and colorimetric applications and provide a wide range and fast image acquisition speeds.

Controlled by the intuitive AlphaView® software, the imager has automatic and manual contrast adjustment, filters, false colors and can be fully annotated.

The system accommodates a wide array of samples from large hand cast polyacrylamide gels to small ready-made gels.

We have multiple castors to pour your own agarose gel, then run them using our multiple electrophoresis systems.

Quantify and Qualify: NanoDrop One

This is a full spectrum spectrophotometer (190 nm-840 nm) that can quantify/qualify DNA, RNA and protein in samples as small as 1 µL with high accuracy and reproducibility.

This instrument is an ergonomic, standalone spectrophotometer with a high-resolution touch screen interface.

It can provide you with early identification of contaminants, which can prevent failure of downstream applications and save days of troubleshooting. When common contaminants are detected, the software will alert you then provide you with a corrected concentration.

Quantify: Qubit Fluorometer

This piece of equipment can accurately and quickly measure the concentration of DNA, RNA or protein in a single sample. It can also be used to assess RNA integrity and quality. The easy-to-use touchscreen menus make it easy to select and run the assays you need, with results displayed in just a few seconds.

It requires as little as 1 µL of sample and offers an onboard reagent calculator for prepping your working solution.

The dry shipper is available for booking using our SharePoint calendar (under other equipment).

The equipment includes the internal tank and an external transportation case. It can keep samples frozen for up to 10 days while in transit. Please see Karen Gesy (karen.gesy@usask.ca) for details and use.