MRI: Acquisition of Flow Cytometer Instrument at University of Michigan-Dearborn

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Flow cytometry/cell sorting is a high-throughput technique for doing high level qualitative and quantitative analysis on a per cell basis for large cell populations. The acquisition of new flow cytometry equipment at the University of Michigan-Dearborn will facilitate research on tumor dynamics, glaucoma, pancreatic islets microfluidics, therapeutics to combat cancer, and brain injury and infection. A strategy for wide sharing of the instrument among neighboring universities is included as part of this project. The new instrument will help in developing the multidisciplinary undergraduate and graduate curriculum in bioengineering and the natural sciences. Furthermore, the instrument will provide opportunities to develop interesting science and engineering outreach activities that introduce bioengineering to high school students and teachers from the greater Detroit area. Undergraduate summer research programs, such as the Research Experiences for Undergraduates program, will be built around the techniques of flow cytometry, which most undergraduate students can readily learn. The acquisition of a flow cytometer will substantially improve the quality and scope of bioengineering research at The University of Michigan-Dearborn. Bioengineering research at the university spans diverse areas, including protein aggregation, engineering tumor models, biophysical characterization of cellular functions, mechanobiological pathways in the eye, transport mechanisms across the brain, nanoengineering, and islet microfluidics. The flow cytometer will enhance these research programs by furnishing information on the physical and chemical characteristics of particles/cell suspensions, cell populations, expression of cellular biomarkers, protein aggregation, and nanoparticle toxicity effects. The flow cytometer will provide the team of users, which includes six junior faculty, with a cutting-edge tool necessary to establish new research programs and to broaden collaborations with researchers at other institutions.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.