ShEEP Request for BioPlex 3D System

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We request funds to purchase a Bio-Plex 3D Microarray Suspension Array system for biomarker discovery and development at the VA Palo Alto. The requested Bio-Plex 3D will provide significant new capabilities through its ability to simultaneously measure up to 500 analytes per well, increased throughput, and reduced sample requirements. The proposed Bio-Plex 3D will enable analysis of commercially available or in-house developed antibody, multiplex cytokine, and other biomarker assays for investigation of a wide range of inflammatory diseases, cancer, metabolic diseases, and infectious diseases that affect millions of Veterans and civilians. The automated plate washer provides highly consistent washing of the Luminex beads, and is critical for obtaining highly consistent results both within and across experiments. All components included in our request and the attached GSA quote are integral parts of the Bio-Plex 3D System and will not be used independently. The VA Palo Alto research program is in great need of next-generation Luminex-based multiplexing capabilities for VA-funded research projects led by multiple VA Palo Alto-based investigators. The Bio-Plex 3D System will provide significant new multiplexing capabilities, throughput, and sensitivity as well as additional versatility for automated analysis compared to our existing instrument. Our current Luminex 200 System is 12 years old and frequently breaks down from almost daily use by many different VA Palo Alto labs. The requested instrument will provide key new capabilities for a large number of ongoing and future research projects the VA Palo Alto by increasing multiplexing capability, providing higher throughput, preserving limited tissue samples, minimizing intra-panel variation, and increasing the number of projects utilizing multiplex analysis. Similar instruments available at nearby Stanford University are already in high demand, typically saturated, and cannot accommodate the heavy usage by various VA users. Therefore, this instrument will bring significant benefits to the VA Palo Alto Research Community. Compared to similar instruments on the market, the Bio-Plex 3D System has an easier-to-use software system and significantly lower price. The new equipment will be placed in the common laboratory equipment room at the VA Palo Alto, maintained by the Robinson Lab, and available for use by all VA Palo Alto investigators. The Robinson Lab has the required technical expertise for and a track record of setting up, running and maintaining the shared Luminex 200 System at VA Palo Alto, and already established the shared equipment room space, support personnel, and financial plans for the requested instrument. A local advisory committee led by Dr. Robinson and consisting of VA Palo Alto users with a broad range of research interest and expertise will oversee the use and maintenance of the instrumentation. We envision long-term use of the equipment by the Major and Minor users on this grant proposal, in addition to new investigators whose research may require such assay systems. All users have well-established research programs with various sources of funding, including VA, NIH, and other grants, to support these projects. Research at VA Palo Alto is expanding efforts to decipher pathogenic mechanisms underlying diseases that affect Veterans and to develop novel diagnostics and therapeutics. Collaborations among VA Palo Alto laboratories are advancing discovery of next-generation biomarkers that will transform care for Veterans suffering from these diseases. Luminex-based multiplex biomarker analyses are significantly advancing identification of novel biological targets for diagnosis and treatment of these diseases. The requested Bio-Plex 3D System will not only enable collaborative studies at VA Palo Alto, but will also meet the increasing needs of additional projects requiring advanced multiplexing capabilities, throughput, and sensitivity in biomarker analyses.