Core Facilities

Our Flow Cytometry Core facility provides valuable resources to investigators at Providence.  

• Highly sophisticated, polychromatic flow cytometry techniques allow investigators to measure anti-tumor immune responses at a cellular level.  
• The facility provides sample processing, staining, data acquisition and analysis under the supervision of experienced technicians. They assist in the design and execution of multi-color flow cytometry and cell sorting experiments.  
• The facility is equipped with top research technology.  

William L. Redmond, Ph.D., laboratory director

P. Dominick Sanders, laboratory manager

Since 2000, our Immune Monitoring Core facility has acquired, processed, cryopreserved and catalogued all tumor tissue, peripheral blood mononuclear cells and serum collected during cancer clinical trials.  

• The facility is among the nation’s leaders in developing and implementing state-of-the-art immune monitoring assays for evaluating anti-tumor immune responses in cancer patients receiving immunotherapy.  
• Our team has processed and analyzed thousands of individual samples from patients enrolled in cancer clinical trials. Samples have included:  
  • Cell lines  
  • Fresh whole blood  
  • Peripheral blood mononuclear cells  
  • Serum  
  • Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes
• The facility is equipped with top research technology.

William L. Redmond, Ph.D., laboratory director  

Mahnaz Janghorban, Ph.D., laboratory manager 

Our Immuno-Histology Core facility was established in 2016. It performs tissue and image analysis for preclinical and clinical translational studies at Providence Cancer Institute.  

• The facility team has an advanced understanding of immunohistochemistry, with expertise in immuno-histology, quantitative image analysis and multiplex immunofluorescence staining.
• Our team advises on imaging techniques, oversees the development and deployment of new antibodies, evaluates new methods and techniques and performs quality control analysis. They also develop protocols and provide standard operating procedures for histology staining procedures and immunostaining.
• The facility is equipped with top research technology. 

William L. Redmond, Ph.D., laboratory director  

Zhaoyu Sun, Ph.D., laboratory manager

Our Molecular Pathology Core facility provides molecular correlations to help translational immunologists answer their research questions.  

• Services include performing NanoString, mRNASeq, whole exome sequencing, T-cell receptor sequencing, and analysis and quantification of circulating tumor DNA.  
• The facility maintains a significant and diverse sequencing infrastructure, including the most advanced genomic sequencing equipment. 
• Software tools developed in-house include applications for variant annotation and visualization, as well as scalable cloud-based pipelines for complete analysis of exome data for both research and clinical CLIA-certified reporting. All applications include data security, access logs, data storage, and backup, and are built to operate in the clinical setting.  

• Carlo B. Bifulco, M.D., medical director
• Brian D. Piening, Ph.D., facility director