Flow Cytometry and High Throughput Screening Shared Resource

流式细胞术与高通量筛选共享资源

FLOW CYTOMETRY & HIGH THROUGHPUT SCREENING SHARED RESOURCE ABSTRACT The UNMCC Flow Cytometry and High Throughput Screening Shared Resource (Flow Cytometry-HTS) provides UNMCC and other researchers with state-of-the-art instruments, infrastructure and expertise. The Resource, directed by Bruce Edwards, PhD and managed by Mark Carter, MS, provides cell analysis, cell sorting, and offline data analysis as standard services. Resource users are individually trained in instrument and software use. Current charge back rates to Resource users are in the low to mid-range of rates nationwide. The Resource also has a history of innovation: The Resource and members of the UNMCC Cancer Therapeutics (CT) Research Program (Sklar & B. Edwards) invented the capability to conduct high throughput screens using a flow cytometric platform (commercialized as HyperCyt in 2006), which led to creation of a full-fledged High Throughput Screening Center: The UNM Center for Molecular Discovery (CMD), which is affiliated with the Resource. In the past project period, the Resource has worked to facilitate access to CMD for UNMCC members as well as collaborators at other NCI Cancer Centers and HyperCyt high throughput screening as a technical service, allowing Resource users routine access to novel high throughput screening technologies. The Resource supports small scale screening projects for investigators who have already developed targets that are ready for screening in 96- or 384-well plates. The Resource also serves as a conduit for pilot projects funded from local resources to evolve into larger, NIH-supported screening projects in the CMD. This highly productive strategy has allowed UNMCC Program members to identify potent small molecule probes for estrogen receptors, GTPases, formyl peptide receptors and efflux transporters, as well as a number of approved drugs that could be repurposed for new clinical applications. The Resource also provides easily accessible reservation and billing systems. To promote excellence in research, the Resource provides UNMCC Program members and trainees with expert assistance and information to facilitate development of cell analysis and discovery projects in support of grant applications and publications. A Resource priority is to integrate advanced technologies developed by the CMD and UNMCC Research Programs into its operations to make them more broadly available to the research community. Education and dissemination activities include: participation in production of a UNM Shared Resource newsletter, workshops and presentations on specialized topics pertaining to flow cytometry and drug discovery, ad hoc facility tours for students and faculty, and a Resource web page to advertise upcoming events and Resource instruments, services and fees. During the previous 5-yr project period, 48 UNMCC members from 4 UNMCC Research Programs used the Resource, resulting in a total of 97 publications, of which 15 are presently pending PMCIDs. In the reporting year of July 2013 – June 2014, UNMCC members were responsible for 86% of total Resource usage and were supported by 128 peer-reviewed grants.