Our Team
Chun-Liang Chen, PhD
Professor & Director of Biobehavior Laboratory
Paul Rivas, Sr.
Research Lab Tech
Biobanking Storage and Testing
Several freezers store various biological samples from local and national studies. The laboratory also has resources for various physical assessments including, but not limited to the following:
- Body composition (i.e., physician scale, BMI assessment)
- Strength and fitness (i.e., baseline hydraulic hand dynamometer, ParvoMedic Metabolic Card)
- Cardiovascular function (i.e., pulse oximetry, blood pressure assessment).
- Specimen collection (i.e., blood, urine, etc.)
- Diagnostic ordering (i.e., HbA1c, Comprehensive Metabolic Panel, etc.)
Laboratory Services
Clinical and preclinical sample preparation and processing service for omics analysis
- Bulk or single cell omics
- Genomics, transcriptomics, epigenomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and lipidomics
- Omics data analysis
Comprehensive assays for single-cell human immune cell profiling and immune cell activation assessment
- Standard and customized marker panels
- Additional subpanels of markers related to stress, pain, depression, trauma and dementia
- Additional subpanels of markers for cancer-immune hybrid cells
- Cancer microenvironment immune cell panels
Ultra-sensitive MESO QuickPlex SQ 120 MM biomarker assays
- Standard and customized biomarker kits (Meso Scale Discovery)
- Multiplex protein biomarker detection
ELISA service
- Standard and customized biomarker detection
Our active collaboration with Quest Diagnostics increases our capacity to process assays.
Neuropsychological Testing
The Biobehavioral laboratory also has neuropsychological testing resources, including, but not limited to:
- Wisconsin Card Sorting Test
- Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB)
- Cardiovascular function (i.e., pulse oximetry, blood pressure assessment).
- Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS)
The History of the Biobehavioral Laboratory
In 1995, the annex building was constructed with a breezeway to the main SON building. This addition houses Wellness 360, classrooms, and the biobehaviorial lab. President John Howe, III MD was President of the campus during the initial construction. In 2018, under the direction of Dean Eileen Breslin, the building was renovated to include: state-of-the-art student work area, bench laboratory, exercise physiology laboratory, and behavioral laboratory space with observation deck.
The 865-square-foot bench lab space has a Biosafety Level 2 fume hood ventilation system, as well as metal lab case work and epoxy counter tops which doubled the amount of workspace. The lab features two under counter safety cabinets, two lab refrigerators and multiple freezers on generator back up, including three ultra-low temperature freezers.
The 286-square-foot behavioral lab space has video teleconferencing capability to support on-campus and virtual bio-behavior research. Attached to the behavioral lab is an observation deck with full data connectivity. The observation deck allows for discreet synchrony observation of live research.
The 105-square-foot exercise physiology lab supports ongoing research and specimen collection.
Directors of the Biobehaviorial lab
June 1, 2023 – current
Dr. Chun-Liang Chen, Director
- January 1, 2023 – May 31, 2023
Dr. Sara Mithani, Interim Director
- June 1, 2020 – December 31, 2023
Dr. Darpan Patel, Director
- December 1, 2018 – May 31, 2020
- Dr. Danet Bluhm/Dr. D. Patel, Co-Interim Directors