MRI-R2: Acquisition of a High-Speed Sorting Flow Cytometer for Multi-User Environmental Microbiology Research

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This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of2009 (Public Law 111-5).This Major Research Instrumentation-Recovery and Reinvestment (MRI-R2) award funds the acquisition of a high-speed sorting flow cytometer for multi-user environmental microbiology research at the Duke University Marine Laboratory. Flow cytometry offers distinct advantages over other techniques, including: the ability to count and characterize large numbers of cells in short times (~50,000 cells/sec); the ability to simultaneously measure multiple properties (size, color or specific genetic (DNA/RNA) or protein constituents using probes) of individual cells and therefore populations; and the ability to sort and collect individual cells or populations of cells for additional downstream analyses. Research enabled by this instrument includes the enumeration and genetic and biochemical characterization of marine microbes, the evaluation of marine and freshwater microbes in the context of environmental pollutants, the analysis of cells harvested from higher organisms of interest to conservation, and the study of algae for the renewable and carbon-neutral production of biofuels and animal protein. The cytometer enables modern environmental microbiology research at a satellite campus of Duke University, and provides access and infrastructure for other regional universities with similar research interests. Beyond developing research infrastructure, the instrument facility is integral to teaching at Duke University and neighboring institutions, allowing incorporation of cutting edge techniques in undergraduate, professional masters and graduate student education. A list of undergraduate and graduate courses at Duke University that directly benefit from this facility includes Biological Oceanography, Genetics and Molecular Biology, Environmental Molecular Tools, and Analysis of Ocean Ecosystems among others. The facility is also to be made available for undergraduate independent study research as well as thesis research by graduate students. Results from the studies enabled by the new equipment will be disseminated by student and faculty presentations at regional and national meetings, and through publication in peer-reviewed journals.