€9M Translational Medicine Center Opens in Tartu
Today, the University of Tartu opened a top of the line translational medical center - an 8.7 million euro facility that, as the name implies, will help to bridge the gap between research and clinical practice, mainly by providing better conditions for scientific research.
Director of the centre Mario Plaas said the building in the Maarjamõisa part of the city is divided between a molecular biology lab and experimental animal centre. There's also a separate infection lab for research into hazardous and GM pathogens.
"Estonia didn't yet have a lab where severe viral infections can be studied in vivo, in animals," Plaas told Postimees.
The molecular lab has ultra-powerful DNA segmentation machines that take a week to segment the human genome. It boasts -150 C cryostorage facilities as well.
Also in the arsenal: a 3 million euro, 9.4-tesla MRI machine, made specially for studying lab rats and other smaller species.
Another distinction: the center has the largest autoclave in the Baltics.
The experimental animal center can house about 25,000 mice and 7,000 rats. All of the cages are ventilated and equipped with Internet monitoring systems.