Molecular Cardiology Research Institute (MCRI)

The MCRI Cell Culture Core Facility provides a variety of services and maintains a large cell line repository. Some of the services provided by the core are: isolation, maintenance and cryopreservation of cells, media preparation, equipment maintenance and minor repairs, training in aseptic and cell culture techniques, and consultation. The core has the ability to establish new primary cell lines from a variety of tissue, especially heart and vascular smooth muscle cells (SMC) and endothelial cells (EC) from human, mouse and other species. Cell proliferation assays, immortalization of cells, expansion of cell lines, establishment of transient and stable cloned cell lines, and preparation of cells for experiments are also provided.

The core maintains a large variety of cryopreserved cell lines. There are over 500 different primary cells lines (SMC, EC and fibroblasts) isolated from 92 different types of tissue, primarily human and transgenic mouse vascular tissue. There is also a stock of commercially purchased established cell lines. 

Wendy Baur

Wendy Baur is responsible for the supervision and function of the Cell Culture Core. She obtained a B.A. from Montclair State College in New Jersey and graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a Masters of Science in 1978. She has been with Tufts Medical Center since 1979 working and consulting with various research investigators, mainly in the departments of Surgery and Cardiology. She has extensive expertise with all aspects of cell culture, especially with vascular cells. Her duties include the establishment and maintenance of cell lines utilized by the MCRI staff, training and supervision of cell culture technicians, coordination and communications with laboratory personnel and upkeep of supplies and equipment for the core.