Acquisition of an ultracentrifuge with rotors

高速离心法，即所谓的超速离心法，是传染病研究中许多实验的重要组成部分。这种技术所需的专用离心机和转子通常被认为是公共资源，由位于同一大楼的研究人员共享。由于使用的高速离心机产生的极端力量，超速离心机是坚固的，如果维护得当，预计可以持续数十年。在我们的研究大楼里原本有两台这样的离心机，都是20世纪70年代的。其中一台最近需要维修，由于不再有这种型号的更换部件，不得不停止使用。然而，尽管它被另一座大楼的类似机龄的型号取代，但可用设备的高龄使我们处于危险的境地，因为一旦需要维修，它也将无法使用。此外，这些离心机都没有配备HEPA过滤器，这正在成为我们正在处理的几种病毒和细菌的要求。最后，由于最近招聘了新的教员，对离心机时间的需求增加，导致等待时间长，实验延误。为了解决这种情况，我们要求一种带有五个不同转子的新型超离心机。新离心机不仅将满足我们目前的需求，还将符合新的生物安全法规。它将使我们能够高效地开展我们的研究计划，专注于更好地了解重要疾病，如疱疹、麻疹、丙型肝炎和大肠杆菌。

Centrifugation at high speeds, so called ultracentrifugation, is an important part of many experiments in infectious disease research.  The specialized centrifuges and rotors necessary for this technique are usually considered a communal resource that is shared among researchers located in the same building.  Due to the extreme forces that result from the high speeds used, ultracentrifuges are solidly build and expected to last for decades if they are well maintained. There were originally two such centrifuges, both originating from the 1970s, in our research building.  One recently needed to be repaired and had to be taken out of service since replacement parts for this model are no longer available.  It was replaced by a model of similar age from another building, however, the advanced age of the available equipment puts us in a precarious situation, since it will also be unusable once repairs become necessary.  In addition, none of these centrifuges is equipped with HEPA filters, which is becoming a requirement for several of the viruses and bacteria we are working with. Finally, there is increased demand for centrifuge time because of the recent recruitment of new faculty, which has resulted in long waiting times and delay of experiments. To address this situation, we are requesting a new ultracentrifuge with five different rotors.  The new centrifuge will not only satisfy our current needs it will also comply with the new biosafety regulations.  It will enable us to efficiently pursue our research programs focusing on better understanding of important diseases like herpes, measles, hepatitis C, and Echerichia coli.