Bioscience Technology is moving so quickly that radical approaches have to be taken to ensure researchers have sustainable access to cutting-edge expertise, equipment and training. The Bioscience Technology Facility is an exemplar which proves that a central, open-access facility can be run effectively and sustainably.
To address the challenges of keeping up to date with new technology developments and maintaining expertise, Biology at York established the Bioscience Technology Facility, a group of dedicated core labs under one roof (side illustration). The Facility is open to both internal and external researchers (academic and commercial) who have benefitted from access to the integrated expertise, training, and instruments provided.
This integrated approach to technology access and development is vital for many cutting edge research programmes. A recent example of this has been the development of novel methods to quantify membrane transporters in collaboration with AstraZeneca which required input from across the breadth of the facility (see http://ow.ly/NRyXI).