The Vincent V.C. Woo Sandbox Laboratory will facilitate unprecedented learning and discovery by providing dedicated space and equipment for collaborative pilot projects between engineers and neuroscientists.
Engineers will learn about the needs of brain science, and neuroscientists will have access to newly designed instruments to advance research on the brain. Through these resources, we can advance brain research and treatments by developing novel tools and therapies.
The laboratory is also intended to be used by approved workshops, training classes (such as the annual neurosciences boot-camp) and product demonstrations as requested by members of the Wu Tsai Neuro community.
The Sandbox Lab offers several unique features to facilitate new collaborations, especially for investigators who do not currently have access to neuroscience-focused research space.
In addition to a large open plan lab, the Sandbox has:
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a fully operational tissue culture suite with two biosafety cabinets, CO2 incubators, centrifuge and fluorescent microscope
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an in vivo procedure suite to allow animal surgeries and procedures
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four curtained electrophysiological rig/microscope areas
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two “microscope” rooms intended for construction and development of such instruments
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-20°C and -80°C freezers and 4°C cabinets for temporary sample storage
The Sandbox Laboratory is available to teams of investigators on a case-by-case basis, reviewed and approved by the faculty advisory committee.
For inquiries, contact Neurosciences Community Labs director Tim Doyle.
Faculty Advisory Committee
John Huguenard, PhD, Professor of Neurology
Todd Coleman, PhD, Associate Professor of Bioengineering and, by courtesy, of Electical Engineering
Nicholas Melosh, PhD Professor of Materials Science and Engineering
Sergiu Pasca, MD, PhD Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Bonnie Uytengsu and Family Director of the Stanford Brain Organogenesis Program at the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute
Ada Poon, PhD, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering
Gordon Wang, PhD, Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Director of Neurosciences Microscopy Services
Acknowledgements
The Vincent V.C. Woo Sandbox Laboratory is supported by a generous gift from Alice N.Y. Woo and by the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute.
The banner image shows students in a Stanford Brain Organogenesis Program training course in the Sandbox Laboratory. Image credit: Sergiu Pasca
