High Capacity Freeze-dryer for Interdisciplinary and Interdepartmental Research

这笔赠款将支持购买一台大容量多用途冻干机，用于跨学科和跨部门的研究。Depts。多伦多大学密西索加（UTM）的生物学和地理学研究所拥有一个充满活力和富有成效的教师和HQP小组，他们共同整合了将基因与生态系统联系起来的问题，同时致力于研究蓝藻、植物、真菌、昆虫和哺乳动物等多种生物。我们部门的许多研究计划需要长期保存生物样品，包括寡核苷酸，肽，蛋白质，次级代谢产物，土壤，真菌细胞，动物和植物组织。冷冻干燥（或冻干）为这些样品提供了最佳的长期保存，因为它通过升华在低温和低压下温和地干燥热敏材料。基于这一设备的基本性质和迫切需要，两个部门的八名研究人员在该部提供的额外财政、后勤和技术支持下，就这一提案进行了合作。生物学和研究副校长办公室。这些设备对于每个PI实验室的HQP的成功培训和生产力至关重要。我们预计冻干机的使用寿命超过20年，该设备将有助于培训>800名HQP。

This grant will support the purchase of one high-capacity multi-purpose freeze-dryer for interdisciplinary and interdepartmental research. The Depts. of Biology and Geography at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) have a vibrant and productive group of faculty and HQP who together integrate questions that link genes to ecosystems, while working on organisms as diverse as cyanobacteria, plants, fungi, insects and mammals. Many research programmes in our departments require the long-term preservation of biological samples that include oligonucleotides, peptides, proteins, secondary metabolites, soil, fungal cells, animal and plant tissues. Freeze-drying (or lyophilizing) provides the best long-term preservation of these samples because it gently dries thermally sensitive materials at low temperature and pressure by sublimation. Based on the essential nature and urgent need of this equipment, eight researchers across two departments have collaborated on this proposal, with additional financial, logistical and technical support offered by the Dept. of Biology and the Office of the Vice-Principal of Research. This equipment will be essential for the successful training and productivity of HQP in each of the PIs labs. We anticipate that over a 20 year lifespan of the freeze-dryer, this equipment will contribute to the training of >800 HQP.