IMB PAS Screening Laboratory

The IMB PAS Screening Laboratory offers research in the field of antiviral activity of chemical compounds.

The Screening Laboratory operates according to the standards of Biosafety Level 2 (BSL-2). The biobank contains collections of cells of various origins (cells isolated from human and animal tissues), as well as a collection of BSL-2 viruses, including:

Human viral strains:

  • Human herpesvirus 5 (ATCC, HCMV, VR-977), genetic material – DNA,
  • Human parainfluenza virus 3 (ATCC, HPIV-3, VR-93) genetic material – RNA,
  • Human herpes simplex virus 1 (ATCC, HSV-1, VR-539), genetic material – DNA,
  • Human adenovirus 5 (ATCC, ADV5, VR-5), genetic material – DNA,
  • Human rhinovirus 8 (ATCC, HRV8, VR-488), genetic material – RNA,

Animal viral strains:

  • Encephalomyocarditis virus (ATCC, VR-1763), genetic material – RNA,

The biological material has been obtained from ATCC (American Type Culture Collection).
MTT colorimetric assay and real-time cell analysis (RTCA) are used to assess cytotoxicity and antiviral activity against held cancer cell lines, normal cells and viral strains.
Our high-quality laboratory equipment guarantees the performance of cell and virus cultures under sterile conditions.
In addition to the basic necessary equipment, the laboratory is equipped with:

  • xCELLigence® Real-Time Cell Analysis (RTCA) – biosensors used in the device allow for complete monitoring of cell proliferation and growth, as well as real-time viral cytopathic effects analysis.
  • Two Freedom EVO 100/4 automated pipetting stations (Tecan) installed in safety class I and II laminar chambers (TKBiotech). Pipetting stations enable high research efficiency and repeatability of results.
  • Olympus CKX41 inverted microscope
  • Olympus IX73 inverted microscope with image analysis software. The microscope works in bright field and fluorescence techniques. The instrument provides the ability to observe cells in culture.
  • Thermo Scientific VarioscanLuX plate reader with absorbance and fluorescence measurement. The reader is controlled by SkanIt software, which allows rapid analysis of the data obtained.
  • Two CO₂ incubators that provide the appropriate temperature, humidity and CO₂ level for the optimal growth and development of the cells.
  • Eppendorf 5810 R refrigerated laboratory centrifuge, which allows to work with both test tubes and microtitre plates.