UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Biomarker Core Lab (BCL) is a not-for-profit laboratory that provides low-cost, biomarker research services to researchers at Penn State, other universities and private companies. Recently, The BCL — part of Penn State Core Services — added equipment that enabled them to expand their services.
The BCL now performs routine blood analysis services for researchers. The new equipment performs the same tests that hospitals conduct when patients require cholesterol testing, metabolic testing, drug testing, or other common screenings.
It is important to note that BCL does not perform diagnostic testing. Tests are for research, not medical diagnoses.
Because the BCL is a not-for-profit unit and located on University Park campus, the BCL can perform the analyses quickly and often at lower cost than off-campus options.
“The BCL serves the Penn State research community and the surrounding region,” explained Matt Ulrich, multiplex specialist in the Biomarker Core Lab. “We want people to know that these services are now available in-house. If you used to send analyses to commercial providers, they now can be done in the BCL on the University Park campus.
“The machine is up and running and interested researchers can submit work requests through iLab,” Ulrich continued.
Technical capacities of the equipment
Unlike ELISA or multiplex analyses, samples in the new equipment can be tested individually with rapid turn-around times at a near-clinical diagnostic level. Similar to multiplexing, a single sample can be tested on the large array of analytes at the same time. Testing services are charged per-sample per-analyte and are frequently less expensive than ELISA.
Review a full list of analytes available.
The BCL offers a broad range of analytic services and has equipment available that researchers can use. Services include biomarker testing, telomere length analysis, sample processing, sample storage, equipment training and use, and more. Learn more about the BCL.