Biohazard safety cabinet required to study immune-behavioural connections

研究免疫行为联系需要生物危害安全柜

• 批准号: 360026-2008
• 负责人: Adamo, Shelley
• 金额: $ 0.93万
• 依托单位: Dalhousie University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)
• 财政年份: 2007
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2007-01-01 至 2008-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=363401
• 关键词: Biohazard; safety; cabinet; required; study

My research examines how interactions between the immune system and other physiological systems can lead to behaviours such as stress-induced immunosuppression and illness-induced anorexia.  To perform these studies I need to assess the strength of the immune system, i.e. its ability to resist disease.  The only way to measure disease resistance is to test the ability of an animal to resist a live pathogen.   I work on insects because their immune systems are less complicated than mammals.  The pathogens I use in my experiments are insect pathogens, but some of them can also infect humans, especially people who are immunocompromised.  For this reason, these pathogens have recently been declared human pathogens.  To continue working with these pathogens, I must purchase a Biohazard Safety Cabinet.  The Cabinet will protect my students, myself, and the environment from contamination by these pathogens.   Unfortunately there are no Biohazard Safety Cabinets in the department.  Because infected animals and samples cannot be removed from a biohazard area, the Biohazard Safety Cabinet needs to be located in my lab, in close proximity to the area in which the animals are tested and housed.   Having the Biohazard Safety Cabinet will also allow me to teach my students how to work with potential pathogens.  These skills are useful because a number of scientific fields and occupations require the use of live pathogens, such as immunology and environmental studies (e.g. immunotoxicology).  Hospital laboratories also require people trained to work with live pathogens.

我的研究是关于免疫系统和其他生理系统之间的相互作用是如何导致诸如压力引起的免疫抑制和疾病引起的厌食症等行为的。为了进行这些研究，我需要评估免疫系统的强度，即它抵抗疾病的能力。衡量疾病抵抗力的唯一方法是测试动物抵抗活病原体的能力。 我研究昆虫是因为它们的免疫系统没有哺乳动物那么复杂。我在实验中使用的病原体是昆虫病原体，但其中一些也会感染人类，特别是免疫功能低下的人。出于这个原因，这些病原体最近被宣布为人类病原体。为了继续研究这些病原体，我必须购买一个生物危害安全柜。柜将保护我的学生，我自己和环境免受这些病原体的污染。 不幸的是，该部门没有生物危害安全柜。因为受感染的动物和样本不能从生物危害区域移走，生物危害安全柜需要位于我的实验室，靠近动物测试和饲养的区域。 有了生物危害安全柜，我还可以教我的学生如何处理潜在的病原体。这些技能很有用，因为许多科学领域和职业都需要使用活病原体，例如免疫学和环境研究（例如免疫毒理学）。医院实验室也需要经过培训的人来处理活病原体。