Laboratory for Evolutionary Physiology
This biosafety level 2-plus laboratory was developed to conduct empirical research on evolutionary medicine. Activities include hormonal, immunological, and parasitological analyses on blood, urine, saliva, and fecal samples from humans and non-human primates. These laboratory facilities are currently being used to 1) conduct parasitological research on humans in Nepal, humans and wild orang-utans in Sabah, Malaysia, and wild baboons in Awash, Ethiopia; 2) conduct immunological analyses on HIV-infected men; 3) conduct endocrinological analyses on wild orangutans in Sabah, Malaysia, captive macaques at Tulane National Primate Research Center, and college students naturally infected with influenza, cold virus, or other upper respiratory tract infection.
With a Baker class II, B2 biological safety cabinet and separate ultralow freezer dedicated for only infectious samples, the laboratory is capable of safely working with infectious organisms, including CDC select agents. Collaborations with researchers working on any organismal system are always welcome. Please contact Dr. Muehlenbein for details.
Endocrinology
Endocrine analyses (primarily for androgens, estrogens, and glucocorticoids) are conducted on blood, urine, fecal, and saliva samples using both I-125 radioimmunoassay (RIA) and enzyme immunoassay (EIA) procedures. Major equipment include a Wallac 1470 gamma counter with 5 detectors, Thermo Electron GP8R refrigerated centrifuge with biohazard shield, Bio-Tek uQuant microplate reader, and a Bio-Tek ELx-405 automated microplate washing system.
Immunology
Immunological analyses (primarily for pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines) are conducted on blood samples using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) procedures. Major equipment include a Fotodyne Investigator image analysis system for multiplexing, a Bio-Tek microplate reader, automated microplate washer, and an electronic pipetting system.
