Modernizing the Flow and Imaging Cytometry Capabilities at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences

Bigelow海洋科学实验室获得了一笔赠款，用于对J.J. MacIsaac水生细胞仪（FAC）设施进行现代化改造，并获得多用户，岸上和海上流式细胞仪和成像细胞仪，以支持水生微生物学领域的研究，培训和教育。30多年来，毕格罗实验室的FAC一直是一个多用户研究设施，致力于推进海洋和淡水生态系统中水生微生物和藻类的研究。水生生态系统的主要结构是微观的。利用流式细胞术（检测悬浮在流体中的细胞）发现了许多水生微生物的新类型和新功能。这些微生物中的大多数仍然无法培养，因此在很大程度上是未知的。FAC促进了水生微生物学研究，使其成为一个广泛的研究社区，从而使这些环境中巨大的、未开发的生物多样性水库得以确定。它还为广泛的学生提供流式细胞术和水生微生物学的培训和教育，包括本科生，研究生和研究科学家。FAC的现代化将支持各种水生研究（淡水和海洋）以及新的水生流式细胞术应用的发展。该仪器将成为FAC的一部分，FAC是一个多用户中心，用于培训和应用先进的水生微生物细胞测定技术。FAC目前的仪器使用得很好，但已经过时了。光学技术的进步（光纤、成像和荧光检测）允许使用包含固态激光器的流式细胞仪，并且可以在紫外和可见光光谱的许多波长中使用，其中一些更适合水生生物应用。该项目获得的新仪器将促进Bigelow实验室和更广泛的水生科学界正在进行的初级研究，开发使用流式细胞术和成像能力的新方法和应用，并教育学生和科学家流式细胞术方法和应用。新的流式细胞仪细胞分析仪具有许多将增强研究能力的功能，一个用于多波长激发的3激光系统，多达17个用于散射和荧光粒子检测的探测器，进行体积计数的能力，并包括一个通用的样品装载机，以便快速处理样品。新的成像细胞仪将提供更高功率的激光和更灵敏的探测器，以及一个流动单元支架和集成的自动对焦机制，提供一致的更高分辨率的图像。有关毕格罗实验室和FAC的更多信息，请访问网站：http://www.bigelow.org/This该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，认为值得支持。

Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences is awarded a grant to modernize the J.J. MacIsaac Facility for Aquatic Cytometry (FAC) and acquire a multi-user, shore and seagoing flow cytometric analyzer and imaging cytometer to support, research, training and education in the field of aquatic microbiology. The FAC at Bigelow Laboratory has been a multi-user research facility for over 30 years to advance the study of aquatic microbes and algae in marine and freshwater ecosystems. The primary structure of aquatic ecosystems is microscopic. Many new types and function of aquatic microorganisms have been discovered using flow cytometry (measurement of cells suspended in fluid flow). The majority of these microbes remain uncultivable and are therefore largely unknown. The FAC facilitates aquatic microbiology research to a broad research community allowing for this vast, untapped reservoir of biodiversity in these environments to be identified. It also provides training and education on both flow cytometry and aquatic microbiology to a broad range of students, including, undergraduates, graduate students and research scientists. The modernization of the FAC will support a variety of aquatic research (freshwater and marine) as well as the development of new aquatic flow cytometric applications. The instrumentation will be a part of the FAC, a multi-user center for training and applications of advance cytometric technology for the study of aquatic microbes.The current instrumentation at the FAC is well used and outdated. Advances in optical technology (fiber optics, imaging, and fluorochrome detection) allow for flow cytometric instrumentation that contains solid-state lasers and are available in numerous wavelengths spanning the UV and visible light spectrum, some of which are better suited for aquatic biological applications. The new instruments acquired by this project will facilitate the ongoing primary research at Bigelow Laboratory and within the broader aquatic science community, develop new approaches and applications using both flow and imaging capabilities, and educate students and scientists in flow cytometric methods and applications. The new flow cytometric cell analyzer has a number of features that will enhance research capabilities, a 3-laser system for multiple wavelength excitation with up to 17 detectors for scatter and fluorescence particle detection, the ability to do volumetric counting, and includes a universal sample loader in order to rapidly process samples. The new imaging cytometer will provide a higher-powered laser and more sensitive detectors as well as a snap-in-flow cell holder and an integrated auto-focus mechanism, providing consistent higher resolution images. For more information about Bigelow Laboratory and the FAC, please see the website: http://www.bigelow.org/This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.