The Arizona Core Network formed to improve access, leverage investment, increase utilization, and boost the collective research competitiveness of our state universities.

The Arizona Core Network represents a range of disciplines, including biological and health sciences, chemical, material and structural analysis, electronics and nanofabrication, forestry and environmental science, and computing and data science. This collaboration is a unified investment in Arizona’s future, seeding growth economically, educationally and entrepreneurially. Our combined resources better position researchers and scientists to tackle issues that affect Arizona — such as health challenges like COVID-19 and Alzheimer’s disease, developing solar technologies to power our towns and cities or combating the forest fires that rage across the state every year.

Learn more

Core Facilities at ASU

Arizona State University's Core Research Facilities provide exclusive access to cutting-edge equipment, personalized consultations and tailored services to propel your research goals to new heights, regardless of your budget, scale or timeline.

Unleash the full potential of your projects with our state-of-the-art resources and expert guidance. From high-tech instrumentation to customized solutions, we're here to empower your scientific endeavors and drive meaningful discoveries. Join the vibrant research community at ASU and tap into the limitless possibilities of ASU Core Research Facilities. 

Ranked #1 for Innovation

ASU offers a cost effective, one stop shop that translates ASU's transdisciplinary expertise and wide array of equipment into solutions for each client.

• 30 distinct facilities in six focus areas.
• State-of-the-art equipment and in-depth expertise.
• Go-to destination for academic researchers and businesses.

Whether you're a two-person startup or a Fortune 500 company, our streamlined, pay-for-use model and flexibility can holistically cover your research needs.

Leverage the ASU Core Research Facilities

• Biosciences
• Clinical Research Services
• Computing and Data Services
• Instrument Design and Fabrication
• Materials Characterization and Synthesis
• Nanofabrication

Imaging and Histology Core Facility

The NAU Imaging and Histology Core Facility (IHCF) provides a wide array of imaging services to NAU faculty, students, as well as to our industry partners in Arizona and beyond.

We are committed to excellence in education, research, mentoring, and technology. Our team strives to make IHCF a model for Arizona’s Bioscience Roadmap while serving NAU’s diverse research and teaching interests in materials and biological sciences.

Our facility is housed within the College of the Environment, Forestry, and Natural Sciences, and is open to researchers here at NAU as well as to our partners in industry, who use the equipment with proper training. Our staff also provides fee-for-service imaging at appropriate, modest rates.

NAU Genetics Core Facility

The NAU Genetics Core Facility (formerly EnGGen) is the designated core facility for genomics research at Northern Arizona University. The Genetics Core Facility (GCF) supports a wide range of research including plant evolution, ecological community genetics, conservation genetics, microbial diversity, and molecular epidemiology, as well as human biomedical genetics and genomics.

Brain Imaging Research

Brain imaging and computational analysis at Banner Alzheimer’s Institute is internationally recognized for clinical services, such as diagnostics and treatment evaluations, and research studies that explore the brain’s structure and mechanisms. Our advanced imaging techniques, include:

• Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT)
• 3 Tesla Magnetic resonance imaging (3T MRI)
• Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)

Radiotracer Development for PET (Positron Emission Tomography)

Our facility’s state-of-the-art Cyclotron and Radiochemistry Laboratory is a regional resource for researchers developing innovative and specialized PET imaging radioactive isotopes. In the laboratory, we synthesize novel PET-labeled compounds and radiopharmaceuticals for pre-clinical and clinical evaluations.

Unlike most imaging facilities, we can eliminate the physical constraints of accessing short-lived radioisotopes and allows the imaging capabilities of the PET scanners to be used for research needs. Isotopes with a longer half-life – 60-120 minutes – can be shipped to regional PET scanners, if desired. However, for isotopes with a shorter half-life, Banner Brain Imaging supports PET scan imaging within the same facility.

Image Analysis

The Computational Imaging Analysis Laboratory (CIAL) serves as the image analysis and statistics core for the NIH-funded Arizona Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, the Arizona Alzheimer’s Consortium, and multiple national and international collaborations. CIAL provides expertise in study design, statistical consultation, imaging and data analysis, data management, and grant development support for investigators across Banner Research and partner institutions. The laboratory is staffed by doctorate-level scientists, master’s-level analysts, and a dedicated data manager, with team members also serving as PIs and Co-Is on funded projects. Its infrastructure includes Linux and PC workstations, scalable virtual machines, and enterprise-class storage systems with secure backups. A comprehensive suite of imaging and statistical software is available, including SPM, FreeSurfer, FSL, PET and MRI brain-mapping pipelines, PUP, SAS, R, Stata, SPSS, and Matlab, as well as specialized tools for structural, functional, and connectivity analyses. Together, CIAL’s expertise, computing infrastructure, and advanced analytic pipelines provide critical resources for advancing Alzheimer’s disease and neuroscience research.

Providing an Optimal Research Environment

Pursuing innovation requires continual investment in resources, tools and technologies. Banner Alzheimer’s Institute maintains an environment dedicated to research by offering:

• Research operations embedded within our outpatient clinic   
• Electronic medical record (EMR) integration for chart review and study feasibility   
• On-site safety lab processing 
• Advanced biomarker and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) collection and processing   
• GMP-compliant pharmacy with registered pharmacist and compounding capabilities   
• Secure, temperature-controlled drug storage with IV infusion capability
• Standard and refrigerated centrifuges 
• -20C and -80C freezers   
• Backup power source for all critical systems 
• Locked, fire-resistant file storage   
• Private rooms with high-speed internet access for study monitor

To inquire about PET or MRI services, call (602) 839-7700. To inquire about research radiochemistry services, please email Dr. Andrei Koren.

Fluid Biomarker Program

The Fluid Biomarker Program brings new expertise to research efforts for Alzheimer’s disease and other diseases. Finding simpler, easier and less costly ways to evaluate a person’s risk is important for both care and research. Getting an accurate early diagnosis could allow people earlier access to drugs - for example, those recently approved to treat Alzheimer’s disease - or allow for a more patient-centric management model. In addition, such tests could help researchers conduct clinical trials more effectively to assess potential new treatments and hypotheses that may slow disease progression.

• Learn how our lab provides efficiency in detection and analysis. 
• Learn how our program advances precision medicine through noninvasive testing.
• Meet our dedicated team working together to advance research

To contact us, call 623-832-6628.

Brain and Body Donation Program

The world-renowned Brain and Body Donation Program (BBDP) studies the health and diseases of older adult volunteers in the greater Phoenix, Arizona area. We assess participants’ function during life and examine their organs and tissue after death. We also share banked tissue, biomaterials and biospecimens with qualified researchers worldwide.

The program now shares more than 20,000 human tissue samples with scientific groups worldwide every year, greatly amplifying scientific impact. In addition to Alzheimer’s, the program is contributing to research on Parkinson’s disease, other brain diseases and normal brain aging. Since 1987, more than 3,000 community members have contributed to our scientific efforts.

Learn more about the program

For Researchers/Tissue Request

To request rapid autopsy samples, antemortem or postmortem biofluids, research data or details on our histological and molecular services, please begin by registering and completing the required forms. Your request will be reviewed and you will receive approval or a response via email within 10 days. Registration must include:

• A brief CV (such as an NIH biosketch) 
• A one-paragraph summary of intended tissue use
• Details on diagnoses, tissue types, formats, quantity, and specific requirements

This process typically involves several email exchanges to finalize details.

• Learn more about requesting biological human samples and our services: 
• Researcher Registration Guide
• Meet our dedicated team working together to advance research
• Take a virtual tour of our program:
  Contact our Brain and Body Donation Program team:

Core Resources at Barrow Neurological Institute

The Barrow Neurological Institute (BNI) is a leading center in Phoenix, Arizona, dedicated to the treatment, research, and education of neurological diseases and injuries, including complex brain and spine conditions, stroke, and movement disorders like Parkinson's disease. 

BNI  is the world's largest dedicated neurosurgical center and the busiest neurology and neurosurgery center in the United States. BNI offers advanced treatments, participates in cutting-edge clinical trials, and provides comprehensive residency programs, attracting patients from around the globe. 

For more information, visit

https://www.barrowneuro.org/for-physicians-researchers/research/core-facilities-and-biobank/

BNI Core Facilities

Barrow-ASU Center for Preclinical Imaging

Biobank Core Facility

Flow Cytometry & Genomics Core Facility

Core Shared Services at Mayo Clinic

Mayo Clinic's Office of Core Shared Services coordinates investigators' needs for research resources available from its core facilities. Mayo Clinic Research Core Facilities are centralized, shared research resources that provide access to instruments, technologies, testing and services. They provide expert technical and consultative services to investigators engaged in basic science research and clinical trials. These facilities expand investigators' capabilities, foster collaboration, and accelerate discovery and translation.

Research core facilities make it possible for investigators to focus on their own areas of expertise, augmented by complementary knowledge and assistance from research cores. As a result, promising findings and therapies can more quickly move from the lab to the clinic to benefit patients.

Mayo Clinic Arizona

• Flow Cytometry Core

• Histology Core

More from Mayo Clinic

Services and resources offered by Mayo Clinic Research Core Facilities are available for research and clinical investigators at Mayo Clinic. Also, some services are available for researchers external to Mayo at an affordable cost with reasonable turnaround times.

Explore Core Facilities at all Mayo Clinic Sites

TGen Clinical Laboratory
TGen Clinical Laboratory provides cutting-edge genomic and molecular testing to advance precision medicine and improve patient outcomes.

TGen Collaborative Sequencing Center
Providing investigators with access to best-in-class short and long read sequencing instrumentation to support all analysis needs including whole genome, telomere-telomere assembly, exomes, RNA sequencing, and full-length transcript sequencing.

TGen Center for Spatial Multi-Omics (COSMO)
With spatial transcriptomics, you can profile the expression of a large tissue at sub-cellular RNA resolution. Investigate individual cells while preserving cellular niches and anatomical structures for histological analyses.

TGen Integrated Mass Spectrometry Shared Resource
Our specialized services support biologists in unraveling the complexities of cancer and neurodegenerative diseases, facilitating the discovery of biomarkers and therapeutic targets. This includes plasma proteome profiling using Illumina Protein Prep, powered by SOMAmer technology

TGen Integrated Microbiomics Center
Applying advanced laboratory and computer technology to explore the next frontier in our understanding of how microbes relate to human health and disease: the human microbiome.

Connect Labs by Wexford

Launched at 850 PBC located in downtown Phoenix at the Phoenix Bioscience Core, Connect Labs features lab and support space of 250-4,000 square feet. Our spaces are intentionally designed to accommodate a variety of uses including biodesign, medical device, drug development, clean tech, and bioengineering.

Core Equipment List

Tenants and CoreLab Members have access to reserved use of Core Lab Equipment.