MRC Equip: A bioenergetics platform to facilitate research in metabolic pathologies

线粒体存在于身体的所有细胞中（红细胞除外），其功能是产生健康功能和生存所需的细胞能量。由于它们存在于身体的所有器官中，当它们功能失调时，就会发生各种各样的疾病、伤害和损伤，导致对健康和健康老龄化的终身后果。本提案要求资助购买Seahorse XF Pro分析仪。该设备能够测量各种样品中氧气使用和pH值的微小波动，包括分离的线粒体、细胞、组织样品和整个生物体（例如斑马鱼幼虫）。这产生了线粒体功能的快照，一个细胞生物能量剖面，然后可以监测损伤后的损伤或用于报告何时治疗干预是有益的。Seahorse XF Pro分析仪使用96孔板格式，这意味着可以快速比较许多样品。在RVC和其他地方进行的研究已经确定了线粒体功能障碍在神经变性（如帕金森病、阿尔茨海默病）、脑损伤（如出生时缺氧）、心血管疾病、肾脏疾病和肌肉骨骼损伤的发展过程中。获得Seahorse XF Pro分析仪将使研究人员能够确定与这些条件有关的靶蛋白如何扰乱细胞生物能量谱，以及潜在的新疗法如何恢复细胞健康。

Mitochondria reside inside all cells in the body (except red blood cells), and function to generate cellular energy needed for healthy function and survival. Because they are present in all organs of the body, when they become dysfunctional, a wide variety of diseases, injuries and impairments can occur, leading to life long consequences for health and healthy ageing. This proposal requests funding to purchase a Seahorse XF Pro Analyser. This equipment is capable of measuring tiny fluctuations in oxygen usage and pH in a variety of samples, including isolated mitochondria, cells, tissue samples and whole organisms (e.g. zebrafish larvae). This generates a snapshot of mitochondrial function, a cellular bioenergetic profile, which can then be monitored for impairments after injury or be used to report when therapeutic intervention is beneficial. The Seahorse XF Pro Analyser uses a 96-well plate format which means that many samples can be compared rapidly.Research carried out at the RVC and elsewhere has identified mitochondrial dysfunction in the development of neurodegeneration (e.g. Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease), brain injury (e.g. following oxygen deprivation during birth), cardiovascular disease, kidney disease and musculoskeletal impairment. Acquiring a Seahorse XF Pro Analyser would enable researchers to determine how target proteins implicated in these conditions perturb the cellular bioenergetic profile and how potential new therapies might restore cellular health.