UF college of medicine office of research
Funding will strengthen the college’s core facilities shared with the entire university.
By Manny Rea
The UF College of Medicine uses more than 300,000 square feet of research lab space containing various core facilities, centers, and institutes, each buzzing with breakthroughs in imaging, genomics, neuroscience, cancer biology, and more. It’s a place where tools and technologies are not just accessories to discovery, they’re the foundation.
This year, two college faculty members received the 2025 Research Equipment Seed Fund (RESF) Award, a competitive program selecting only 12 winners out of 86 campuswide proposals. Designed to support the purchase or development of high-impact research equipment, the award strengthens UF’s infrastructure for innovation, expanding possibilities for faculty and trainees alike.
College winners Matthew Sarkisian, an associate professor in the Department of Neuroscience, and Joanna Long, a professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Chemistry, each proposed equipment upgrades that enhance not only their own labs, but the entire UF research community:
Sarkisian’s research explores how glioblastoma tumors interact with their surrounding environment, particularly neurons and immune cells. His lab focuses on primary cilia, tiny structures found on some tumor cells that may play a critical role in tumor growth and treatment resistance. Using RESF funding, Sarkisian will acquire a next-generation Zeiss imaging system equipped with AI capabilities.
The new microscope allows for long-term, 3D, high-resolution imaging of live cells to better observe how glioma cells integrate with neurons and immune cells over time. AI tools will speed up sample detection and image analysis.
Ultimately, it will give Sarkisian’s lab and others the ability to capture previously unobservable cellular interactions in real time, potentially uncovering new therapeutic targets for glioblastoma.
“This is something I’ve been wanting to do for years,” Sarkisian said. “Transforming our imaging capabilities will let us see details we couldn’t before.”
The system will also serve other researchers through the McKnight Brain Institute’s imaging core.
As director of the Advanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy (AMRIS) Facility, Long oversees one of UF’s most essential research infrastructures. The AMRIS facility is home to multimillion-dollar MRI and NMR instruments that allow investigators to analyze molecular structures, dynamic processes, and chemical reaction. However, they require constant cooling by liquid helium, which is in global shortage.
Long’s RESF award will fund two helium refrigeration units that recapture and re-liquefy helium gas as it boils off, ensuring continued operation.
“This isn’t flashy,” she said, “but it’s vital.”
The system supports more than 100 faculty from 10 colleges, making it a foundational investment for research across campus.
“It was nice to see this kind of award go to something so fundamental,” Long said.