Electrochemical detector and software upgrade for existing HPLC

这三位申请人在定义明确的利基工作，但我们的研究有一个共同的主题，即鱼类对环境压力的适应和对变化环境的感知（化学感受）的机制。 因此，我们的研究需要确定肾上腺素，去甲肾上腺素和多巴胺（统称为儿茶酚胺; CAT）或血清素的循环或分泌水平。 几种技术可用于测量生物组织中的生物胺，尽管HPLC结合电化学（EC）检测可以说是目前可用的最具成本效益和灵敏度的方法。 该技术在佩里的实验室中常规使用，并满足所有三个申请人的分析要求。 目前的EC检测器（普林斯顿应用研究）是在1992年由加拿大瓦里安公司在新的科学大楼开放时捐赠给生物系的集成HPLC系统的一部分。 在过去的16年里，HPLC和EC检测器可能是主要研究者实验室中使用最多的仪器，处理和分析了超过50，000份样品的CAT。 HPLC泵、自动进样器和数据采集软件于2001年升级（NSERC RTI升级为佩里），但为了节省成本，未更换EC检测器。 普林斯顿应用研究公司不再生产EC探测器，也不再为以前销售的型号提供服务，因为它们已经过时了。 因此，在过去三年中，HPLC在排除EC检测器问题时长时间无法使用。 一个不可预测的EC检测器严重影响了我们训练HQP的能力，并导致研究进展的延迟。 本提案旨在纠正这种情况，要求提供资金购买一个EC检测器和与现有HPLC一起使用的软件。

The three applicants work in well-defined niches yet a common theme that links our research is the adaptation of fish to environmental stressors and the mechanisms underlying perception of a changing environment (chemoreception). As such, our research requires the determination of the circulating or secreted levels of adrenaline, noradrenaline and dopamine (collectively termed catecholamines; CAT) or serotonin. Several techniques can be used to measure biogenic amines in biological tissues although HPLC in conjunction with electrochemical (EC) detection is arguably the most cost-effective and sensitive method that is currently available. This technique is used routinely in Perry's lab and serves the analytical requirements of all three applicants. The current EC detector (Princeton Applied Research) was donated as part of an integrated HPLC system to the Biology Department in 1992 by Varian Canada upon the opening of a new Science building. Over the past 16 years, the HPLC and EC detector have likely been the most heavily used instruments in the lab of the principal investigator with over 50,000 samples being processed and analyzed for CATs. The HPLC pump, auto-sampler and data acquisition software were upgraded in 2001 (NSERC RTI to Perry) but to save costs, the EC detector was not replaced. Princeton Applied Research no longer manufactures an EC detector nor do they service previously sold models as they are obsolete. Thus, over the past three years, the HPLC has been unusable for extended periods while troubleshooting EC detector problems. An unpredictable EC detector has seriously impacted our ability to train HQP and has led to delays in research progress. This proposal aims to remedy this situation by requesting funds to purchase a an EC detector and software to be used with the existing HPLC.