Imaging System for Environmental Physiology Research

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We are requesting funds to acquire an imaging system to replace a broken and obsolete system for a core molecular physiology facility. The PI and co-applicants form a core group of environmental physiologists at various points in their careers including junior, mid and late career stages, and including a CRC chair. All of our programs are highly integrative incorporating whole organismal to cellular and molecular measurements. In our research we observe and measure an animal's response to environmental stress and then explain that response by examining physiological, biochemical and molecular mechanisms. Essential of many molecular techniques is the ability to visualize products separated on gels or membranes according to their molecular weight or electrical charge. Visualization often requires using a dye or probe that is only detectable under light, or by excitation by light, of a particular wavelength. The signal can then be captured digitally and quantified by specific computer software. The applicants use the molecular physiology facility on a daily basis and in total is used by 11 different research groups in Biology with 3 PDFs, 3 technicians and 27 graduate students. Since the demise of our old gel doc system, researchers' ability to image their gels and membranes has been greatly compromised. The purchase of an imaging system capable of gel documentation would restore our past capability and service our many users. Moreover, the requested imager is a state-of-the-art machine that will add new technologies, such as live animal imaging, not previously available and allow us to move to new and innovative techniques.