Versatile and quantitative analysis of macromolecules

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Complex living organisms are made up of cells, which are small functional units acting in a coordinated way to accomplish the specialized functions of organs (e.g. heart, brain, kidneys, lungs, etc). Pioneering research from our group aims at increasing the knowledge of the processes underlying cells’ functions. This is important in order to understand how all parts of our body develop properly from conception and work accurately during our lifetime; a failure in a single cell may lead to problems for the whole organism. Our efforts also contribute to the development of basic and applied research in Canada via the training and sustained employment of highly qualified personnel (HQP) in the knowledge-based economy. The information acquired through our research programs also strengthens education in life science programs in Canadian universities, thus further contributing the training of a new generation of HQP that will work in a wide range of disciplines beyond cell biology, such as agronomy, bioengineering and human heath. Research in cell biology requires the detection and analysis of cellular components, including DNA, RNA and proteins. The need to quantitatively analyze ever-smaller and diverse samples has driven the development of detectors with greatly improved sensitivity and versatility, thus leaving research groupings such as ours with the need to replace uncompetitive digital or photographic technologies. The present application aims at not only substituting these outdated technology, but also to open the way to novel and significantly improved techniques with broad applications in DNA, RNA and protein research. This will be accomplished via the acquisition of a versatile, high-resolution biomolecular imager, the Amersham Typhoon RGB system from GE-Healthcare Life Sciences. This equipment will be accessible to over 150 HQP, thereby maximizing its usefulness. The Amersham Typhoon RGB is essential for the ability of all these HQPs to achieve cutting-edge discoveries with numerous benefits to Canada on multiple fronts, including education, innovation and health. After their training, HQP exposed to the requested ultramodern imager will become a key part of an extremely skilled workforce contributing to academia, industry and to the well being of Canadians.