Equipment to quantify levels of the pleiotropic, blood-based enzyme, thrombin

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Title: Equipment to quantify levels of the pleiotropic, blood-based enzyme, thrombin******The overarching goal of the applicants is to catalyse and enable innovative research directions and discoveries toward the design of new agents to control clot formation, and to improve blood biocompatibility of biomaterials used in, for example, blood product storage and transfusion, for intravascular catheters, grafts, heart valves, biosynthetic and cell-based organ implants, adhesives, and nanoparticles for drug delivery. An impediment to achieving these ends, is that the evanescent, potent and pleiotropic enzyme, thrombin, is readily generated by injury or exposure to foreign surfaces, whereupon it induces clotting and other undesirable effects. To design approaches that dampen the generation of thrombin or mitigate its deleterious effects, it is absolutely essential that researchers are able to accurately measure thrombin generation.******The equipment requested in this proposal, a Calibrated Automated Thrombogram (CAT) Analyzer, often referred to as a Thrombinoscope, accurately quantifies levels of thrombin generated in blood, plasma or other fluids. It has become the standard instrument for this purpose in all major leading research centres. The equipment takes advantage of a highly sensitive and specific fluorogenic thrombin substrate. It is user friendly, robust for all research applications and is fully automated for high-throughput use. There are no other similar instruments on the market that can measure active thrombin. Indeed, without this instrument, the applicants and other users are forced to use more costly, non-standardized, manual approaches that are prone to error and inconsistencies. This results in delays in research productivity and confers a competitive disadvantage to our research and to our students.******The applicants are highly qualified, collaborative and internationally respected for their scientific contributions. The equipment will be situated at the UBC Centre for Blood Research in an accessible location, available for use by many research groups from multiple faculties, including engineering, science, medicine, pharmaceutical sciences and dentistry. The CAT Analyzer will be managed by a senior full-time MSc level Research Assistant who will also provide training of HQP. We expect that >150 HQP will be trained on this equipment in the first 3 years of operation. Skilled use of this device will provide a significant advantage to UBC students in their training and employment prospects. **************