The Central Laboratory, formerly known as the Institute of Clinical Medicine, was established in the 1990s. It serves as both a scientific research platforma research training base for graduate students at the hospital. It is designated as the Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Tumor CellMolecular Pathologythe Hunan Clinical Research Center for Diabetes. The laboratory is guided by the principles of “collaboration, innovation, truth-seeking,long-term vision.”

Main Functions

(1) Provide laboratory space, technical training,research guidance for postgraduate students at the hospital;

(2) Offer laboratory space, a shared equipment platform,technical support for research projects at the hospital, while actively promoting the application of basic research findings to clinical practice;

(3) As a comprehensive medical research laboratory, engage in collaborative research with external institutions.

Research Platforms

The Central Laboratory has established multiple experimental platforms in molecular biology, cell biology, tissue morphologymolecular pathology, biochemistry, immunology,biosafety. It houses specialized laboratories for cell culture, bacterial culture, tissue morphology, molecular biology, cell biology, animal histomorphology, immunology,protein function analysis. It supports experimental work in molecular biology, cell biology, tissue morphologymolecular pathology,immunology. The Laboratory has also launched a WeChat public account for the “First Affiliated Hospital of University of South China Shared Instrumentation Platform.”

i. Molecular Biology Laboratory: Equipped with a complete set of molecular biology instrumentsservices, the Laboratory enables DNA, RNA,protein extractionquantification from cellstissues. Techniques supported include real-time quantitative PCR, Western blotting, co-immunoprecipitation, CHIP-PCR, molecular cloning,gene expression analysis. Major equipment includes: real-time PCR system, electrophoresisgel imaging system, multifunctional microplate reader, ultra-low temperature freezer, tissue homogenizer, ultrasonic cell disruptor, chemiluminescence analyzer, high-speed refrigerated centrifuge, ultrapure water system, refrigerated centrifugal concentrator,an automated multifunctional protein quantification system.

ii. Cell Biology Laboratory: Provides equipmentservices for the culture of cell linesprimary cells in vitro, as well as studies of cell biological behaviors. Supports transfection, gene expression, RNA interference,immunofluorescence detection. Major equipment includes: autoclave, laminar flow cabinet, biosafety cabinet, fluorescence inverted microscope, CO₂ incubator, high-content screening system, laser confocal microscope,flow cytometer.

iii. Tissue MorphologyMolecular Pathology Laboratory: Supports tissue morphology observation, quantitative morphometry, image acquisition,analysis. Major equipment includes: upright multifunctional fluorescence microscope, inverted fluorescence phase-contrast microscope, in vivo 3D imaging system for small animals, small animal CT imaging system,high-resolution ultrasound imaging system for small animals.

iv. Immunology Laboratory: Conducts experiments such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), immunohistochemistry,immunofluorescence. Major equipment includes: multifunctional microplate reader, centrifuges of various speedsangles, multispectral panoramic tissue imagingquantitative analysis system, water-jacketed incubator, drying oven, shaker,microscope.