Research Cores

Mass General Brigham Research Assay Core Laboratory

Core Summary

The mission of the Mass General Brigham Research Assay Core Laboratory is to provide a comprehensive menu of state-of-the-art high-quality research assays to the MGB and non-MGB research communities at competitive costs. The BRAC Laboratory is a dynamic entity seeking to meet the needs of its investigators with new and relevant technologies, and evolving research support.  We specialize in novel methods for hard-to-measure molecules.  Many of our steroid hormone assays are certified by the Centers for Disease Control’s Hormone Assay Standardization Program.  We are CLIA certified and accredited by the Joint Commission.

Contact Information

Primary Contact: Steven Whitford, Lab Manager

Email: brac@partners.org

Phone: 617-525-9246

Location and Hours of Operation

Physical Location: Richardson Fuller Building, Room RF480, 221 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02472

Hours of Operation:

Monday–Friday: 9am – 4pm

Getting Started (Requesting Services)

To request services through the MGBRAC, users should submit contact brac@partners.org.  We will send you an application to get project and billing information.  A sample list must be completed accurately when sending samples for testing.  Confirmation from the Core team is required prior to initiating services.

Major Equipment and Capabilities

The MGBRAC maintains Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometers and a DxI 9000 Access Immunoassay Analyzer for the bulk of our services, along with other equipment and resources to support our testing. Specific equipment names, and capabilities are available upon request.

External Website

Please visit the Core’s external website for additional information:

https://brac-lab.bwh.harvard.edu/

Available Services

We offer discounts for sending large number of samples for a test, and can validate additional tests for additional fees.  If there are any tests that you don't see, a certain test you want us to run please contact us.  We can also provide preservative tubes for collecting samples for some of our more unstable analytes.  All prices are for FY2027 and are valid until September 30, 2027.

• Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometer tests: Highly sensitive assays supporting sex hormone and aging research
• Alzheimer's Disease: Immunoassays for measuring biomarkers of alzheimers disease in very small volumes of plasma
• Immunoassays: Manual and automated assays for a wide variety of biomarkers
• NMN metabolites: Specilized assays for measuring the molecules involved in metabolic functions, and aging.
• DNA Extraction: We offer services for extracting DNA from whole blood, saliva and other sample-types in preparation for sequencing.