Maintaining Ultracentrifugation Capacity for Biological Research at the Ontario Veterinary College

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Funds are requested from NSERC to purchase a state-of the-art ultracentrifuge and rotors to maintain core ultracentrifugation capacity within the department of Pathobiology and the Ontario Veterinary College. Equipment requested includes a Beckman BioSafe Optima XPN-90 ultracentrifuge, three ultra-speed rotors and a 4-year service contract. As guaranteed access to the essential core research equipment requested is critical a majority of research programs in the department, a service contract during the initial 4-year period is included in this application. Subsequently, service and maintenance costs will be covered by the Department of Pathobiology. The department will also contribute a portion of a technician’s salary for centrifuge equipment maintenance and HQP training. The advanced age of our ultracentrifuge equipment has left us in the precarious position of having only one functional ultracentrifuge (with no service contract) and two ultra-rotors. For a department whose research programs depend heavily on access to basic ultracentrifugation equipment, it cannot be emphasized enough how critical the requested equipment is for the continued success of our research programs and the numerous HQP that we train. Inability to acquire the proposed infrastructure will negatively impact the development and growth of our research programs. The ultracentrifuge and rotors requested are absolutely critical for the continuous full operation of our virology and viral immunology laboratories and for training of our HQP.