Core Expertise

For fee-for-service inquiries, please Contact Us.

  • The dietary assessment core, led by Katherine Tucker, is a fully equipped research facility available to members and fee-for-service contracts.

    This core offers expertise in:

    • Study and instrument design for collection of dietary data
    • Collection and processing of dietary records, 24-hour dietary recalls and food frequency questionnaires (FFQ)
    • Linking dietary and nutrition data to health outcomes, including NHANES
    • Interviewer training
    • Statistical analysis to describe the food and nutrient intake of groups, including dietary patterning (e.g. indices)
    • Validation of dietary assessment tools

    In addition to processing standard questionnaires, we have developed specialized food frequency questionnaires (FFQ) for use with Hispanic adults in the Northeastern US and in Puerto Rico (Puerto Ricans, Dominicans and Central Americans); and another for use in the Southern US (Mississippi Delta region), which has been modified for use in the NHLBI Jackson Heart Study.

    Our staff includes programmers experienced in writing SAS programs to link scanned output to dietary database contents and to create output reports for foods and nutrients from food frequency questionnaires. They are also conversant in creating food groups and other food and nutrient variables for use in analysis.

  • Under the direction of Mahdi Garelnabi, the laboratory core provides analysis of nutrients, biomarkers and clinical Laboratory measurements for members and fee-for-service contracts.

    Garelnabi’ s laboratory, located at the newly built UMass Lowell's Emerging Technologies and Innovation Center (ETIC) - an $80-million-dollar facility - covers 84,000 square feet with state-of-art instruments. His research lab focuses on the molecular and biochemical modulators of metabolic diseases such as cardiovascular, diabetes and obesity.

    Laboratory Core Capabilities
    Cell Culture Room Nuaire Biological Safety Cabinets (class II, Type 2A)VWR CO2 incubators
    Olympus BH-2, CK2 piXellnk camera empowered microscopesQubit® Nucleic Acids Quantification Platform
    Centrifuges with and without cooling systems, water baths, hotplate/stir plates, and vortexesGE EPS Electrophoresis system
    Thermo Scientific pH meterTuttnauer autoclave
    Hitachi F2500 Fluorescence spectrophotometerShimadzu UN mini 1240 spectrophotometer
    Eppendorf Mastercycle gradient ThermocyclerInfinite® M1000 - top class microplate reader with premium Quad4 Monochromators™ microplate reader
    Applied BioSystems Triple Quad™ LC/MS/MS SystemBeckman ultracentrifuge L8 70W
    Avanti® JE ultracentrifugeV max Molecular Devices kinetic microplate reader
    Fisher Scientific pH MetersVarian Inc 430 GC, FID with CP 8410 auto sampler
    BioRad MyiQ2 Real Time PCR instrumentBio Spectrum Gel Capture System
    BioRad Bio PAC 300 Electrophoresis system for PCRGas Chromatograph / Mass Spectrometer: Shimadzu GCMS-QP2010 Plus
    Autosampler: Shimadzu AOC-5000 Auto InjectorGas Chromatograph / Electron Capture Detector: HP 6890 GC System
    GC Autosmapler: Agilent 7683L8-70 Beckman ultracentrifuge and rotor (40.3 and 5W-41)Avanti J-E Beckman high speed centrifuge
    Roche Cobas Mira Clinical Chemistry Auto-AnalyzerMolecular Devices Kinetic Instrument microplate reader
    Olympics light microscope with computerized image analysis systemUV-VIS spectrophotometers
    Agarose, polyacrylamide, and isoelectric focusing gel electrophoresis unitsFlourometer
    Platelet aggragometerWestern Blot unit
    PCR instrumentPipettes covering a range of 0.1 to 1000 μL
    -20°C freezer-80 °C freezer
    Microwave ovenRefrigerator

    More details can be found on the UMass Lowell Core Research Facilities website.

  • The biostatistics core is a shared resource for Center members led by Xiyuan Zhang, providing consultation on biostatistics, with special expertise in dietary data analysis. Additionally, the core supports design and analysis of research studies.

    This core offers:

    • Consultation on protocol design
    • Participation on manuscript preparation
    • Collaboration on grant proposals
    • Analyses for abstracts
    • Fee-for-service consultation contracts
    • Study monitoring

  • The administrative core, led by Esther Jennings, MPH, provides an efficient, centralized unit for fiscal and administrative operations. Center members have access to this core, providing support with grant submissions, IRB applications, data management and more.

    Resources