Infrastructure

CDN infrastructure is composed of:

• Common use laboratories
• Laminar flow hoods for cell culture
• Tissue culture incubators
• Dedicated tissue culture rooms
• Ultra-cold freezers (-80°C), regular freezers
• Ultracentrifuge
• Refrigerated and table top centrifuges
• Animal behavioral laboratories with computerized tracking devices and software for data analysis
• Genetic engineered mouse models for degeneration, autism and other diseases
  Vivarium
• Lecture Room and offices
• Access to CUNY services and network

High Performance Computing Center

Advanced Imaging Facility
The imaging facility has dedicated laboratories for preparation and imaging of specimens covering many applications including biological science, material science, polymers, chemistry, and quantitative nanoscale measurement.

Library
The College of Staten Island Library supports the teaching, learning, and research of neuroscience. The library serves the needs of students and faculty providing instruction sessions in all disciplines, across all college levels. They select print and electronic resources that support the curriculum of the center. Currently, the collection includes 69 print and electronic journal titles in neuroscience and the subscription to approximately 60 databases in science. Many of those databases index Biology and related disciplines. The library possess access to over 90 monograph tiles in Neuroscience (CSI), and 450 monograph titles (relating to neuroscience) within CUNY.

Beyond the College of Staten Island

Translational and Clinical Research
Two faculty of CDN are presently working on translational medical projects. Dr. Banerjee is investigating the anticancer properties of Curcumin, a major component of the culinary spice turmeric that displays prophylactic activity against almost all cancers. By chemically linking curcumin to an antibody that targets it to cancer cells, Dr. Banerjee’s team has sharply potentiated its ability to eliminate cancer cells. This project studies ways of achieving such targeting of curcumin into brain tumor as well as skin and cervical cancer cells. He is collaborating with the Staten Island University Hospital where is he participating in clinical research studies.

Dr. Ahmed is interested in developing new treatment strategies to treat spinal cord injury using a combination of spinal cord magnetic stimulation (TMS) with acrobatic form of exercises. This treatment strategy proved to be remarkably effective in improving functional recovery in mouse model and in human patients suffering from spinal cord injury. His studies also include neuromuscular fatigue, axonal plasticity, and injury-induced plasticity in cortical and spinal cord connectivity.

The Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities (IBR)
The IBR is a combined clinical and basic research facility located near the CSI campus and is a component of the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities. IBR receives funding from the State of New York for Education supporting doctoral education in Neuroscience at CSI. Additionally, collaborative scientific efforts of CSI faculty and IBR senior scientists provide a fertile arena research and student training.