Typhoon 9410 Variable Mode Imager

描述（由申请人提供）：新英格兰医学中心分子心脏病研究所（MCRI）的研究人员利用体外分子生物学、细胞生物学和转基因方法探索心血管疾病的分子机制并验证新的治疗靶点。MCRI的研究人员追求各种各样的，但互补的研究途径——其中绝大多数是美国国立卫生研究院支持的。MCRI的两大研究领域包括心肌细胞和血管生物学。我们研究了心肌细胞肥大和凋亡、血管炎症、血管舒缩张力、心脏发育和细胞增殖的正常和病理生理调节和功能。很大一部分美国国立卫生研究院资助的MCRI研究人员，以及其他美国国立卫生研究院资助的研究人员在塔珀研究大楼，其中MCRI被安置，作为他们工作的主要焦点，目前检查蛋白质磷酸化和基因调控。这些研究在很大程度上依赖于使用western blotting，放射自显影和微阵列分析-通常在同一实验中。此外，这项工作的大部分涉及到对临床样本的检查，这些样本通常只能零星地获得，而且数量很少。同样，来自转基因动物（尤其是小鼠）的样本只提供少量的起始材料，“通常需要使用单独的设备进行细分以进行平行分析”。信号转导和基因调控研究成功的关键是能够以高灵敏度产生可重复结果的试剂和设备，以检测和监测低丰度大分子物种。在这个时候，我们依靠个人调查员，过时的，低灵敏度的设备，这大大降低了我们研究的效率，灵活性和吞吐量。一个专用的最先进的凝胶/印迹分析仪，也配备了微阵列分析，能够使用最新的，高灵敏度，三色分析方法，将大大提高吞吐量，再现性和灵活性，我们的工作。目前，美国国立卫生研究院资助的参与这项提案的研究人员还没有这样的工具。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The investigators of the Molecular Cardiology Research Institute (MCRI) at the New England Medical Center use in vitro molecular biological, cell biological and transgenic approaches to explore the molecular mechanisms of cardiovascular disease and to validate new therapeutic targets. MCRI investigators pursue varied, yet complementary avenues of research--the vast majority of which are NIH-supported. Two broad treas of research within the MCRI include cardiomyocyte and vascular biology. We examine the normal and pathophysiologic regulation and function of cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and apoptosis, vascular inflammation, vasomotor tone, cardiac development and cell proliferation. A large fraction of NIH-funded MCRI Investigators as well as other NIH-funded Investigators within the Tupper Research Building, wherein the MCRI is housed are, as a major focus of their work, currently examining protein phosphorylation and gene regulation. These studies rely heavily on the use of western blotting, autoradiography and microarray analysis--often within the same experiment. Moreover, much of this work involves the examination of] clinical samples which are typically available only sporadically, and in fleetingly small quantities. Similarly, [samples from transgenic animals--mice especially--provide only small amounts of starting material which "often needs to be subdivided for parallel analysis using separate pieces of equipment. Key to the success of signal transduction and gene regulation research are reagents and equipment capable of generating reproducible results at the high levels of sensitivity needed to detect and monitor low abundance macromolecular species. At this time, we are relying on individual investigators', outdated, low sensitivity equipment, which substantially reduces the efficiency, flexibility and throughput of our research. A dedicated state of the art gel/blot analyzer, equipped also for microarray analysis, with the ability to use the most up to date, high sensitivity, three color analysis methods, would substantially enhance the throughput, reproducibility and flexibility of our work. Such an instrument is not currently available to the NIH-funded investigators taking part in this proposal. The purpose of this proposal is to gain the support needed to purchase an Amersham Biosciences Typhoon 9410 Variable Mode imager that can be used for the wide array of protein phosphorylation, signal transduction and gene regulation applications that comprise the current and growing NIH-funded research base described by the investigators of this proposal.