MRI: Acquisition of Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorter (FACS) for Multidisciplinary Research and Education at Fordham University

福特汉姆大学获得了一份合同，为福特汉姆大学化学系的多用户设施购买了一台BD FACSMelody （BYG 6-Color Plate 4 way）荧光激活细胞分选机（FACS）。获得最先进的仪器，如FACS，将改善研究基础设施，推进两个校区的教师研究和学生和博士后的培训计划。它将加强生物科学系、化学系、心理学系和自然科学系以及更广泛的社会之间的合作研究机会。它还将使越来越多的理科生接触到生物化学这一强大的实验工具。在福特汉姆大学进行研究的少数族裔机构（包括当地社区学院和高中）的学生和教师将从学习这些先进技术中受益匪浅。此外，作为最近设立的生物化学辅修课程的一部分，它将通过研究性实验室实验为本科生提供有意义的研究和实践经验，并有助于扩大生物化学课程。它将提高学生理解复杂细胞机制的能力，并为他们提供技能和科学敏锐度，以加入STEM工作队伍，并作为具有科学素养的个人参与社会。此外，教师计划开展外展活动，例如为当地的老年人组织创建播客，以便社区的弱势群体能够更多地了解与疾病有关的细胞和生理过程。此外，还将为当地高中生举办讲习班。这些活动将促进多元化STEM劳动力的招聘、保留和专业发展。该仪器将促进关键领域的跨学科研究，包括组织工程、单分子生物物理学、蛋白质工程、环境科学、神经心理学和神经科学。它将提供一种尖端的多用户仪器，具有高灵敏度，以高通量的方式对各种细胞群进行定量和定性研究。FACS是高纯度分离所需细胞群和基于细胞标记，大小和相互作用的单细胞分析的关键工具。FACS也是唯一一种基于细胞内蛋白表达的快速、高效分离和分选细胞的纯化技术。因此，FACS仪器将用于各种项目，包括在细胞-生物材料界面检查干细胞分化途径，研究细菌中高保真和容易出错的DNA复制的分子机制，研究新型离子液体对环境的影响，检查工程肽的细胞摄取，研究转基因斑马鱼中神经元群体的行为，检查应激激素对白细胞的影响。以及阐明病毒进入和贩运的机制，以减少HPV相关感染。该仪器提供的研究将使福特汉姆大学的教师能够对生物技术的各种重要发展领域作出实质性的贡献。作为全国最多元化的城市之一的机构，FACS仪器将提供一个特殊的机会，在福特汉姆大学向不同的学生群体传授高质量的研究和教学。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知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

An award is made to Fordham University for the acquisition of a BD FACSMelody (BYG 6-Color Plate 4 way) fluorescence activated cell sorter (FACS) for a multiuser facility in the Chemistry Department at Fordham University. Acquisition of a state of the art instrument such as FACS will improve the research infrastructure and advance faculty research and training programs of students and postdocs across two campuses. It will enhance collaborative research opportunities between the Departments of Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Psychology and Natural Sciences as well as the broader community. It will also expose a growing cohort of undergraduate science majors to a powerful experimental tool in biochemistry. Students and faculty from minority institutions, including local community colleges and high schools, conducting research at Fordham will greatly benefit from learning such advanced techniques. In addition, it will help provide meaningful research and hands-on experience to undergraduate students through investigative laboratory experiments as part of the recently established Biochemistry minor and aid in expanding the Biochemistry program. It will enhance student’s ability to understand intricate cellular mechanisms, and provide them with the skills and scientific acumen to join the STEM workforce and participate in the society as scientifically literate individuals. Additionally, faculty plan on outreach activities such as creating podcasts for local senior citizen organizations so that the community’s vulnerable population can become more aware about cellular and physiological processes involved in diseases. Furthermore, workshops for local high school students will be held. These activities will promote recruitment, retention, and professional development of a diverse STEM workforce. The instrument will facilitate interdisciplinary research in key areas including tissue engineering, single-molecule biophysics, protein engineering, environmental science, neuropsychology and neuroscience. It will provide a cutting-edge multi-user instrument with high sensitivity for quantitative and qualitative investigation of a variety of cell populations in a high-throughput manner. FACS is a crucial tool for the separation of desired cell populations in high purity and analysis of single cells based on cell markers, size, and interactions. FACS is also the only purification technique to isolate and sort cells based on intracellular protein expression in a rapid and highly efficient manner. Thus, the FACS instrument will be employed in a variety of projects that include examining stem cell differentiation pathways at cell-biomaterial interfaces, investigating the molecular mechanisms of high-fidelity and error-prone DNA replication in bacteria, studying the environmental impacts of novel ionic liquids, examining cellular uptake of engineered peptides, studying the behavior of neuronal populations in transgenic zebrafish, examining the effects of stress hormones on leukocytes, as well as elucidating the mechanism of viral entry and trafficking to reduce HPV related infections. The research afforded by the instrument will allow Fordham faculty to make substantive contributions to a variety of important developing areas of biotechnology. As an institution in one of the most diverse cities in the country, the FACS instrument will provide an exceptional opportunity to impart high-quality research and teaching to a diverse student population at Fordham.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.