Chemical Screening Center
UCSC's Chemical Screening Center houses high-throughput screening(HTS) robotics that are used to search for biologically active compounds and siRNA targeted toward a variety of biological systems. Investigators can test up to 30,000 chemical compounds per day for biological function and/or usefulness in fighting diseases.
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Macromolecular Structure Function Core Facility
The Macromolecular Structure Function Core Facility (MSFCF) supports researchers with state of the art instrumentation, supplies, and expertise for the structural characterization of biological macromolecules. Resources are available for crystallization and structure determination as wells as biophysical characterization of macromolecular stability and interactions.
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Chemical Screening Center
UCSC's Chemical Screening Center houses high-throughput screening(HTS) robotics that are used to search for biologically active compounds and siRNA targeted toward a variety of biological systems. Investigators can test up to 30,000 chemical compounds per day for biological function and/or usefulness in fighting diseases.
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Macromolecular Structure Function Core Facility
The Macromolecular Structure Function Core Facility (MSFCF) supports researchers with state of the art instrumentation, supplies, and expertise for the structural characterization of biological macromolecules. Resources are available for crystallization and structure determination as wells as biophysical characterization of macromolecular stability and interactions.
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Mass Spectrometry
The mass spectrometry facility provides analytical support for the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and other academic departments at the University of California, Santa Cruz. The facility is to enhance the research, educational, and public service missions of the University.
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YILDIZ LAB
The Yıldız lab studies biofilms, microbial communities composed of microorganisms encased in an extracellular matrix. To understand the processes and consequences of biofilm formation, we have developed an interdisciplinary research program that addresses critical questions regarding the molecular mechanisms of biofilm formation.
We use Vibrio cholerae, the causative agent of cholera, as a model organism to study biofilms. V. cholerae is a facultative human pathogen; it proliferates within the human intestine and grows and survives for prolonged periods in aquatic habitats. V. cholerae forms biofilms both in the environment and in human hosts. V. cholerae’s ability to form biofilms is crucial for its survival in aquatic habitats between epidemics and is advantageous for host-to-host transmission during outbreaks.
Our studies are grounded in genetic and biochemical analyses combined with functional genomics and extensive phenotypic characterization. We collaborate with leading experts to supplement our studies with quantitative biophysical approaches, structural biology, super-resolution imaging, and modeling. Our approach is characterized by the incorporation of state-of-the-art techniques that allow us to understand the molecular mechanisms of biofilm biology. Our work has resulted in a fundamental understanding of molecular mechanisms of biofilm formation and regulatory circuitries, as well as the role of biofilms in pathogenesis.